FEARLESS: The King Series, Book One (26 page)

The next day I drove myself to school in the morning. It was odd to pull into the parking lot without Michael, and I ignored the small voice in my head reminding me that this was what next year would be like.

I had a few precious minutes with him at my locker before we both rushed off to our respective classes. It was only later that I remembered I hadn’t told him about Nell and the weird vibe I’d gotten.

My History midterm was that day after lunch. My confidence in Mr. Frame and his straightforward tests was justified, and I turned in my exam well ahead of the rest of the class. With time to kill, I pulled out my Trig notes and tried to make sense of what Michael had added. I was getting thoroughly lost when abruptly something broke the steady hum of mind-noise around me and caught my attention.

It was familiar, the same chant I’d heard in Nell’s thoughts weeks before. I glanced over at her. Obviously she too had finished her test; she was sitting with her long hair shielding her face.

I carefully avoided any movement that might make her turn, closed my eyes and concentrated on her mind alone. At once there was sharp swell of sound as the anxiety of the other students hit me. I kept my breathing as steady as possible, ignored the other noise and focused.

It was the same circle I’d seen before, in the same clearing, so much more familiar now that I’d been there in person. This time there were only two robed girls, and I saw them standing hand in hand. Then Nell’s perspective shifted, and I saw something else, in the center of the circle. There was pile of rocks, and leaning against it was shadowy figure. Slowly it began to take shape, as Nell’s mind clarified, and with horrifying sickening sense I realized that it was Michael.

The room tilted, just as it had the first time I had listening to Nell’s mind. But this time I fought to keep steady. I gripped my chair and forced my breath to remain even. I didn’t want to lose focus on what Nell was thinking.

The first time was just a trial, and it worked perfectly. Marica wanted to be sure, to know exactly what she could do. And now that we know, it’s time for the main event. She may be able to see the future, but will she see her precious Michael again, before we sacrifice his blood to cleanse our sacred space?

Every cell in my body was poised for flight. I clung to the seat in order to keep myself from bolting out of the classroom and running to find Michael. My heart raced and adrenaline surged—where was he now? English. On the other side of the building. How fast could I get there?

And then Nell resumed her line of thought.
Marica has him by now. I could get out of next period, see if I can get out there early. We can take care of him, make sure the clearing is ready for the next part… when she’s our sacrifice.

Before I could react, Nell stood and walked to the front of the classroom. She leaned toward Mr. Frame and whispered something I couldn’t hear, not even in her thoughts. In the teacher’s mind I detected only resigned embarrassment, and he nodded quickly before handing her a pass and waving her away. Nell didn’t even look my way as she moved out the door.

I was stuck. If I tried to leave now, to use an excuse to leave class early after Nell has just done so, Mr. Frame would become suspicious and probably refuse. I’d just have to leave and deal with the consequences later. I was about to slip from my desk when the bell rang.

I jumped as though electrified and pushed through people to get to the door, ignoring the surprised and disgruntled looks. Once in the walkway, I sprinted around crowds and across the patchy grass, all the while glancing desperately from face to face, looking for Michael. Was there still a chance he was here and safe?

The classroom was empty by the time I got there. I turned around immediately and headed toward the parking lot. If what Nell had been thinking was true, Ms. Lacusta had Michael. I knew that by myself I couldn’t save him—not from both Nell and Ms. Lacusta—but I thought I could stall them until help arrived.

But how where would that help come from? Frantically I cast my mind, trying to think of who was where—I didn’t know anyone’s class schedule. I was alone, I didn’t have time to go from room to room looking for someone I trusted—and it would only be a matter of time before a teacher saw me outside without a pass and marched me to the office, where I knew they were less than likely to believe what I had to say.

I have to be calm and think this through
, I told myself. 
There’s an answer, I know
. I turned the corner and nearly ran directly into the pay phone.

This phone was something of a school joke, since virtually no one used it. Almost everyone used cell phones, either their own or, if they were like me and didn’t have one, a friend’s. I wasn’t even sure how to use a pay phone. I dug into my change purse, deep in the bottom of my handbag, and found quarters. Isn’t that what they took? I slipped two into the slot, dialed the number of Michael’s cell phone and prayed that he would answer.

But instead of a ring, I heard his voice mail, which meant his phone was turned off. I bit my lip and swallowed hard. Not good. And that had wasted two of my quarters. With every ounce of faith I prayed that I had more—and I breathed a silent prayer of thanks when my fingers closed on two.

This time I punched in the familiar number of the nursery. 
Marley and Luke
, I chanted to myself.
Marley and Luke will know what to do
.

It was Belinda who answered. She worked in the nursery shop, and I knew her slightly from my visits. I worked hard to keep my voice from shaking as I asked her if Michael was at the nursery.

“No, I haven’t seen him,” she answered. “Marly and Luke are out working on a landscaping job. You know she doesn’t usually go with him, but I guess he talked her into it today—”

I groaned as I interrupted her. “Listen, Belinda. I don’t want to be rude, but it’s very important that I get a message to Marley and Luke. They need to know that Michael is in trouble. Please tell them it’s Nell again, and I’m going over to the clearing, and they have to come fast. I don’t know if they have a phone with them or what, but please—this is an emergency.”

“Should you call the police?” Belinda’s tone was only slightly suspicious and very confused.

“I don’t have time. Or quarters. You can call them if you want. Just please get that message to them.” I hung up the phone before I could waste any more time. As I turned back toward the parking lot, I realized that I was standing right in front of Amber’s locker.

Without taking the time to reason any more, I dug into my backpack and ripped out a sheet of notebook paper and a pen. With a trembling hand, I wrote:

Nell and Ms. L have Michael at the clearing. I am going out there now—send help ASAP. Please.

I underlined the last word and scribbled the time next to my name, folded the sheet and shoved it through the vent in Amber’s locker.

I had done all that I could. I wasn’t sure what would be waiting for me there, but I knew I had to return to Nell’s forest clearing. And this time, I was going by myself.

I stumbled across the parking lot toward my mom’s car. My hands were shaking so much that I could hardly pull the keys out of my bag. My fingers had just touched the cool metal when I felt a prickle at my back, and I heard the low insanity of Nell’s mind.

Before I could take a breath, her weight was pinning me against the car. I heard the madness of her laughter, and then…

…the pain was sudden and intense. It struck at the base of my neck and I couldn’t move. Panic and terror warred for a moment and then there was nothing but darknes
s
.

It was the muttering that called me out of the darkness. A low level of incoherent words spoken and ideas half-formed floated around. My eyes were too heavy to open, but slowly I began to pull myself out of the mire of nothingness.

As I became more aware, I realized that I was hearing thoughts, not spoken words.  For a moment, I was confused. Who was I hearing? And where was I?

Groggily I tried to turn my head and pain shot through me. I remembered then that I had been in the parking lot at the school… I was looking for Michael... or for Amber. Which? Why? And somehow I had gotten hurt. Tentatively I stretched my fingers slightly, expecting to feel the stones of the gravel.  Instead I felt soft grass and dirt.

I forced my eyes open, and the world was out of focus. There was light, but it was blurred and moving, and it made the pain in my head even worse. Squinting, I tried to look around without moving my head.

The blood spells… they’re the dangerous ones, but so worth it, because of the power they release… and with her abilities, who knows what her blood will hold. Might make the spell even stronger… out of my way at the very least. Didn’t belong here anyway, outsider, not one of us. Never one of us.

The words I heard finally cut through the last vestiges of fog in my mind. It was Nell. She was here, somewhere near me. I had been trying to save Michael from Nell’s latest plans of blood and mayhem. And I’d been standing by the car when she came from behind. I remembered her pushing me forward against the hood and then the blow to the back of my head.

My hands groped a bit further and encountered more grass and some pine needles. The forest, then, I decided. Would she have dragged me back to the same clearing? It was possible. She’d been livid before about Michael’s male presence sullying the place, but then today she’d thought of a cleansing spell. Maybe she had performed it—without blood. Or maybe Nell was just nuts enough to convince herself it didn’t matter after all.

I couldn’t let myself consider the other alternative. Michael wasn’t here, so I had to believe that he was alive. I didn’t hear Ms. Lacusta or sense her presence either; had she ever really been a part of this afternoon’s plans? As far as I could tell, I was alone here with Nell, which meant that it was most likely that Michael
had gone to the nursery, where he would be expecting to see me later this afternoon. Relief flooded my heart; without doubt I was in a bad way, but at least I knew Michael hadn’t been sacrificed in the name of ritual cleansing.

I tried moving my head again. The pain was still right there with me, and I sensed it wasn’t going away any time soon. But by taking it slowly, I could shift in tiny increments without passing out again.

I caught sight of a robed figure standing in front of a pile of rocks. I knew it was Nell. My heart pounded, and I tried to calm myself enough to figure out how I could best save myself. It was pretty clear from her thoughts that I was the chosen sacrifice today. And it also sounded as though she was buying into the idea that I possessed some sort of power. I wondered if she knew what it was.

I toyed with the idea of feigning unconsciousness for as long as I could, hoping that might buy me some time. I was growing increasingly uncomfortable on the ground; something was poking me in the back, and I tried to move. But my feet somehow didn’t seem to be obeying my mind. I couldn’t feel them at all. Wincing in agony, I lifted my head as far as I could and looked at my legs. My feet were bound tightly with rope and fastened to a large wooden stake in the ground. The knot was on the other side of the stake, beyond my reach even if I could ignore the pain long enough to sit up. The binding must have cut off my circulation, I realized, which explained why I couldn’t feel my feet.

That was when true, mind-numbing terror took over. I was stuck here, unable to move, completely helpless against anything Nell was planning to do to me. My eyesight was still blurry, and my head throbbed; I assumed that probably meant a concussion. That really wasn’t going to matter in the long run, because Nell was going to do something to spill my blood. I was betting on her using the knife again. By the time she was finished, a concussion would be the least of my problems.

My one good chance for rescue was the message that I’d left at the nursery. If Belinda got in touch with Marley and Luke, they would know what to do. And if Michael wasn’t here, then of course he must be there, working. He might even get the message himself and understand where I was.

Of course, there was the possibility that Amber would alert him. When she found the note in her locker… if she found the note in her locker… would she call his parents and find out that Michael was not really in danger? Had I told her that I was coming out here by myself? My head was still fuzzy and it hurt to think that hard.

I twisted again, trying to lean away from whatever was hurting my back. Then I froze, because at my movement, the murmurings of Nell’s mind stopped abruptly, and she turned to look at me.

Her smile was one of pure pleasure, and suddenly I couldn’t breathe. She seemed to float over to me, as the long robe covered her feet to the ground.

“You’re awake!” she exclaimed in what sounded like true delight. “Good. We have so much to do. I was afraid I was going to have to try to bring you around myself. Apparently, it’s very important that you’re conscious when we begin.”

Nell sounded as though we were beginning a school project together. Her voice was matter-of-fact, but her eyes blazed with the true madness that I’d been hearing in her mind for months.

I tried to sit up, but the agony in my head was strong enough to make me nauseated, and I fell back.

“Yes, sorry about the head. Probably hurts quite a bit, doesn’t it? That was unfortunate. I considered trying chloroform, but it’s not as easy to get as you might think, and there’s a paper trail, too. I couldn’t have that.”

I stared at her incredulously. “You don’t think you’re really going to get away with killing me, do you? You might do it, but between Michael and Amber, I’m going to bet the cops will be at your door before you’ve had a chance to clean up. If I disappear, who do you think will be the number one suspect?”

She laughed then, a silvery tinkle of amusement tinged with insanity. “Oh, poor Tasmyn. You don’t think I’ve thought this out? It was very complicated, you know. Everything had to fall into place so precisely, and it had to be done in very little time. I had been waiting for an opportunity, I was prepared to be patient, and then yesterday, when I overheard your conversation with Amber, it just fell into my lap. Perfect timing, with your mother away, no one expecting you at home… and by the time your boyfriend starts to wonder where you are, it’ll be much too late.

“But there’s no worry of me being suspected of anything. I drove you here in your car, and it will appear that you came out on your own. You see, it turns out that your end will come courtesy of a rather hungry alligator that lives in the lake here. I’m sure he’ll have help from the other things that live there, too, but I think the gator will be the one to really do the job.”

Nell leaned closer to me, and the hood fell off to pool around her hair. “Don’t be frightened. In reality, you’ll be long gone before they bother with you. I need a fairly large quantity of your blood—more than you can spare, as it turns out. But I know how to do it in such a way that my cuts won’t be at all visible by the time your body is found.”

I shook my head and then closed my eyes to breathe through the pain. “Doesn’t matter, Nell. They’ll still know.”

“Oh, your adoring boyfriend or that stupid Amber might suspect. But they’ll have no proof, and it won’t matter. Besides, if they make too much fuss, my father will shut them up. He might not be good for much, but he wouldn’t let anyone slander me.” Her laugh this time was short and harsh. “Wouldn’t want any harm coming to the precious Massler name. Or maybe I should say, any more harm. That’s really why he could never forgive my mother…” Her eyes clouded and she frowned. I could feel the hurt and fury coming from her, and the mutterings in her mind cried out in pain, too. Maybe this was my opportunity.

“I’m sorry about your mother, Nell,” I said as gently as I could manage. “It must have been very hard for you to lose her when you were so little.”

“She was brilliant,” Nell murmured. “Simply brilliant. No one was like her. And she loved me. She taught me…” Her voice faded and then she jerked her eyes back to me. “That doesn’t matter now. She’s put away because she wasn’t smart enough to manage things. She let a man ruin everything. I learned that lesson early. No man is worth giving up your power. No man is worth losing what’s really important. They can’t be trusted.” She smiled down at me again. “Not even your precious love. You’ll see. Or actually you
won’t
see. You won’t be around to see!” Nell giggled maniacally. “Maybe I’ll offer him some comfort while he’s grieving for you…”

A fierce rage shot through me at the idea of Nell anywhere near Michael. “He would never—” I began, but Nell cut me off.

“Oh, he might never—you may be right—but you know, there are spells for that, too. My power will be limitless after I perform this ritual. Doesn’t it make you feel a little better to know that your blood is going to such a good cause?”

I turned my face and refused to look at her, but she wouldn’t move away.

“Oh, come on now, Tasmyn. Let’s not be coy. It didn’t take me too long to figure out where your power lies. Marica could sense it from the beginning, you know. She just couldn’t isolate exactly what it was. But after the whole Amber debacle, I put the pieces together. I played you today, made you think I was on the wrong track. And now, if I’m right—which I nearly always am—your blood, with your special gifts, will make me the strongest witch of my generation. And in a way, you’ll be part of that. Even if you’re not around to see it!” She erupted into laughter again.

I knew I had to be calm. If I could keep her talking, keep her focused on something else, I could be buying precious time, and there was a chance that someone would find me. The thought of Nell with Michael sickened me, but I had to tamp down that anger and try to reach whatever part of Nell’s sanity that might be left.

She was standing again in front of the pile of rocks I had noticed earlier. Her mind was focused on them, and then I heard the familiar chanting. She was thinking of the chant as she mumbled some words over the stones.

I felt a burst of energy so strong that it forced me further into the ground and robbed me of my breath. Startled, I realized it had come from Nell’s mind. And there, where a mound of stones had been seconds before burned a bright flame.

I remembered that Amber had talked about Nell and the other girls making fire. At the time, I had assumed there was some trick Ms. Lacusta had taught them. But the flash of power I’d felt at the same moment the fire started could not have been a coincidence.  Somehow Nell had made those flames.

In desperation, I closed my eyes and opened my mind, clearing all the walls as thoroughly as I could. Combating Nell was going to require every bit of strength I possessed.

Now, the words must be perfect. The athame must be purified in the flames created by the craft, and then she has to be upright. I’ll have to prop her up in some way. And the vessels, they have to be prepared, too—

TASMYN!

Cutting through Nell’s musings and ramblings, I heard my name coming from a completely different mind. I caught my breath as I struggled to keep my face expressionless. I could not let Nell look at me and guess what I was hearing.

Tasmyn. I’m coming for you, I know you’re around here somewhere. Hang in there, I love you, don’t you dare let her hurt you, I’ll kill her myself. Stay with me, Tas.

Tears filled my eyes, and I squeezed them shut. With tremendous effort, I choked down a screaming reply. I wouldn’t help either of us by taking away the element of surprise, Michael’s only real advantage in this situation. But every fiber of my being yearned toward him.

Nell had straightened, and she was coming toward me. One hand was behind her back, and the same beatific smile was on her face.

“Well, Tasmyn, I think it’s about that time. Now, I’m going to need your cooperation in some of this. You must be sitting up, so that I can catch the blood in the vessels that have been prepared for this ritual. Oh, it’s going to be amazing.” She brought her hand in front of her, and in it I saw a long, thin knife. Nell turned it over lovingly, caressing the white bone handle. I could hear her again more clearly.

Amazing. That’s right. Just the two of us. The athame will link us, forever.

“That’s the athame?” I questioned her softly. I wanted to keep her attention on me.

“Yes.” Still smiling, Nell held it out the knife front of her. “Isn’t it beautiful? It was my mother’s.”

Without thinking, I blurted, “I thought Ms. Lacusta gave it to you—the athame.”

Confusion moved across Nell’s face. “Marica? My mother…” Her mind bleated distress. Then she shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. One and the same. Powerful witches, and both their blood runs in my veins.” The idea of blood brought her back to the task at hand. “This athame has served me well. If you feel the back of your head, you’ll find a lump in the shape of its handle. Turns out it’s useful in more ways than even I had guessed.”

“That’s what you hit me with?”  No wonder my head was killing me.

“Yes. It worked out perfectly. The hardest part was keeping my mind blank. I knew you’d hear me if I started thinking once I got near you. So I had to have it all planned before I was close enough, and I wasn’t really sure how far away you can read minds.” She knelt down next to me and slid a hand beneath my head.  “Now you have to sit up.”