Gods of Chaos (Red Magic) (26 page)

“So mote it be.” We spoke the final words in unison, and our hands glowed bright red for an instant before they looked normal again. I flexed my fingers, feeling the spell tingle as it settled into my being. Like it or not, I now owed Marcus loyalty, and he owed me the same. Glancing at the hard-faced Witch beside me, I remembered that Justin and Mom had both warned me about making bargains. I looked away, not ready to think about either of them right now, especially Justin. For some reason, he was the furthest thing from my mind.

I looked around at the looming trees and shuddered. “Tell me why you whisked us here, of all places?”

He started to speak, and then paused. His brow furrowed as he thought about my question. “I’m not sure, actually. All I could think of was getting away from the eruption, and as far from Hel as we could possibly get.”

Goosebumps prickled my skin, and I rubbed my arms quickly. “But wasn’t Germany one of the places invaded by the Vikings?” If it was, Hel could still reach us. And so could Loki.

“I didn’t think of that. I told you, I didn’t pick the place. I just willed us somewhere as far away from immediate harm as I could.”

“Fair enough.” I paused, looking at the pine needles that covered the ground in irregular patterns. I wondered if I could get him to teach me that traveling spell. Maybe he’d be more willing to now that we were partners. “Thank you for taking me with you.”

He snorted. “You’re dangerous, Darlena. I’d rather have you where I can watch you. Besides,” he added, “I think you know where Izzy is.”

“I told you, I have no idea. I followed something that looked like her into Annwn, but then she was gone.”

He frowned. “That sounds like a Seeming.”

I nodded. “But I haven’t seen her—er, it—since.”

“We will find her.” His voice was firm, and I didn’t argue.

Instead, I looked around the forest. Even though it was hard to tell, the woods seemed to be getting darker as we spoke. “Shouldn’t we find a place to sleep? We can discuss this more once we’re settled.”

He nodded. “If we’re going to sleep, we’ll need shelter.

Before I could ask what he had in mind, Marcus turned away from me and raised his arms. Blistering heat sprang up behind me, and I spun around. The trees surrounding us were engulfed in flames. Before I could act, Marcus lowered his arms and the flames licked down, turning into embers. In an instant, they were extinguished.

“What did you do?” Aghast, I stared at the charred trees.

“What needed to be done. I can’t make something out of nothing. This will shelter us.”

I gestured at the burned patch of forest. “How?”

He smiled sharply. “Easy. Watch and learn, Witch.”

With a few deft flicks of his hands, Marcus tipped the charred trees to the ground. Too quickly for me to follow his motions, he wove a complicated spell, and the next thing I knew, a small lean-to stood before me, made out of blackened wood.

“Couldn’t you have just chopped the trees down? Why did you have to use fire?” I was upset thinking about how casually he had almost destroyed this old forest. My parents would have been mortified by such careless Witchcraft.

“Fire is the most powerful tool for any Red Witch, something you’d know if you didn’t insist on denying who you are.” I opened my mouth to argue, but he plowed on. “Besides, I did the forest a favor. The new growth that springs up after any forest fire is healthier than those old trees have been in a long time. Fire is a way to cleanse and bring renewal.”

I thought about that, and I nodded grudgingly. “I still don’t think you needed to be so extreme.”

He laughed and headed toward the structure. “I provided shelter. Shall you provide the food, partner?”

Sitting cross-legged on the cold ground, I dug in my bag, which had mercifully made the journey from Scotland with me. I probably had a few granola bars left. My fingers brushed against something cold and sharp, and pain shot through my hand. I yelped in surprise, jerking my arm back.

“What is it?” Marcus was on his feet instantly, his hands clenched in a defensive pose.

Cautiously, I pulled a shard of mirrored glass out of my bag and held it up.

He looked at my stricken expression, puzzled. “So what? You don’t really believe that old tale that a broken mirror brings bad luck?”

I shook my head. “No. But that was a mirror from a goddess. Breaking it can’t be a good sign.”

Marcus reached out, and I placed the fragment of Aphrodite’s mirror in his hands. He turned it over slowly, examining it from every angle. “Who gave this to you?”

“Aphrodite. When I first chose her as my patron.”

His eyes stayed on the glass. “And when you changed your mind?”

“She said I could keep it. I’ve never really used it. I’m sure it’s magic, but there wasn’t time to find out what it does.”

“And now it’s broken.” His voice was quiet.

I nodded. “I wonder what it means.”

“One thing is pretty clear,” he said, looking at me with a stern expression, “you can’t waste the gifts of the gods again. You should never carry a magical tool without understanding how to use it.”

I thought of the crystal Hades had given me, and my mother’s athame. I must have glanced at the bag, because Marcus reached for it.

“What else do you have in here?”

I tugged the bag reflexively, jerking it out of his grip. His eyes turned hard.

“I want to make sure you don’t blow me up without intending to.”

Nettled, I clutched the bag tighter. “Don’t worry. If I do anything to you, I’ll mean it.”

He glared at me for a moment before he chuckled. “Fair enough. But remember, we have a bargain.”

I nodded. “I won’t be the one to break it.”

“Neither will I.” His dark green eyes held mine, intense and powerful. I tried to keep his gaze, but I finally had to look away.

I fiddled with my bag, pulling out a granola bar and handing it to him. “I have other tools, but I know how to use them. The mirror was the only thing I never bothered with.”

Instead of answering, Marcus reached into the cargo pocket on the side of his pants and pulled out a crooked twig a little shorter than my forearm. He held it out to me.

“It’s my dedicancy gift. A birch wand.”

I looked at it with interest, but I didn’t touch it. I didn’t want to give him another excuse for hating me.

He smiled slightly. “You can hold it if you like. You have my permission.”

Gingerly, I took the wand from his fingers. It was bent near the tip, and the length of it was white and smooth with age. Energy rippled through the wand and into my hand, and for a moment, it was like I was still holding Marcus’s hand. I shivered at the unexpected pulse of electricity. “I’ve never used a wand.”

He looked surprised. “I thought all Witches did!”

I shook my head. “My school focused more on internal magic rather than using objects to manipulate energy.”

He snorted. “That’s a load of horse shit. You must have realized that a tool can make you more powerful.” He reached for his wand, and I felt it grow hotter under my fingertips as he took it. When my hand was empty, I felt suddenly cold.

“But is it a good thing for Witches like us to be more powerful?”

Marcus put his wand away. “Why shouldn’t we be strong? Did you ever think that’s why Hecate is after you, because you’re the weakest of the three of us?”

Eagerly, I leaned forward. “Do you know the third?”

He shook his head. “Not likely to, either. We each have our own realms to govern. Only a crazy person would go looking for another Red Witch.” He smiled tightly at me.

“I’m crazy? Just because I don’t want to fight Hecate alone?” My anger rose.

“Easy. We’re partners, remember? Put it down.”

I glared at him. “What are you talking about?”

He gestured slightly toward my hands. “You just grabbed a ball of energy. I don’t want you to throw it at me.”

I looked down, startled by the red sparks pulsing around my fingertips. “I didn’t mean to do that.”

“You’re quite the loose cannon, aren’t you? No wonder the Queen wants to use you.”

The red sparks dissipated, and I stared at him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“If she is out to reshape the world, like you said, what could be better for her than an untrained Red Witch wreaking havoc in a third of the world?”

Confused, I shook my head. “But she’s trying to kill me!”

Marcus looked skeptical. “Are you sure of that?”

The events of the past six months played through my mind, and I snorted. “If she isn’t trying to kill me, she sure has a funny way of showing it.”

He pressed on. “But think about it. A goddess like that should have no problem killing you. So why are you still alive?”

“Because the gods can’t directly harm us,” I argued. “That’s why she sent my best friend against me!”

I couldn’t read Marcus’s expression. “I didn’t know that. When?”

“Last fall.” I looked down, fighting back an overwhelming urge to cry.

“What did you do?”

“What could I do? If she lived, she would have become the most destructive Witch since Caracella and his slaughter at Alexandria.” My words felt heavy, and my heart clenched. I hated talking about Rochelle.

“So you killed her.”

I nodded, unable to speak.

“Publicly?”

I glared at him. “I’m not that stupid! We had a fight at night, at the school. No one but my family knows.”

“Interesting. So Hecate tried to have you killed once, and you’re convinced she’s still out to get you?”

I turned my back on him and lay down. I didn’t want to have this conversation. I was afraid that if I kept talking about Rochelle, I might have a meltdown, and I didn’t want Marcus to see that. “We should sleep. We need to figure out what to do, and I’m too tired to think.”

Marcus was silent for a moment, and I concentrated on my breathing. When I had almost lulled myself to sleep, I heard his voice again.

“There is so much you still need to learn about our path.”