Hopeless Magic (41 page)

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"My friends! My family!" I shouted, trying to suppress Avalon's screams for help for just a moment just until I could figure this out.

"But how could you possibly know that?" Sebastian asked in disbelief.

"Because I do. Now damn it Sebastian, tell me what is happening," I stomped my foot. When he remained silent, I lashed out in anger, flinging him across the room with a burst of magic. "Tell me!" I screamed.

He recovered, standing up, full of rage. "What do you think is happening, Eden?" he yelled. "Did you really thing this would be that easy? Did you really think Lucan would let just let you marry his son without an exchange? Without something for himself? There was a trade, Eden."

"What do you mean?" my voice dropped to a whisper, horrified by Sebastian's accusations.

"We've known for a while, about you and your....

brother." Sebastian explained haughtily, the smug look that made my stomach churn plastering his face.

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"But how?"

"Truthfully, it was Kiran. He had suspected for a while, the way you two acted around each other, the coincidental family features, his arrogant over-protectiveness. And his last name. 'St.

Andrews' isn't really all that hard to figure out.

So when Lucan met him at Kiran's birthday party, there was nothing else to uncover. Your traitor parents had twins."

"So?" My voice was gaining volume again, "So what is the trade?"

"Your brother. Kiran can have you, he can marry you, he can do whatever he wants to with you.

That is why Lucan called off the engagement with Seraphina, he doesn't need you to get what he wants, he has your brother. Or he will have your brother," I flinched, unbelieving, but that only gave Sebastian the confidence to continue,

"Lucan had always planned to use you, no matter what Kiran's sentiments were, Lucan has had bigger plans. But when it came to light that you had a twin brother who would work just as well, he 639/711

decided to be diplomatic and let his son have you. Either way, the bloodline will be secured and father and son can live out eternity together,"

a sick smile twisted Sebastian's lips and I turned my head, emptying it of everything I had eaten today.

"And Kiran knew? He knew that he was giving Lucan, Avalon?" I turned my head again, waiting to be sick.

"Of course. Of course he knew. It was his idea.

How else was he going to get you? You should really be thanking him, if he hadn't figured out that Avalon was your twin, it would be you up on the chopping block instead of him," he let out a cruel laugh that echoed inside of my head, right next to deafening cries of the brother that had been sacrificed for my happiness.

"He'll never get him. Avalon is untouchable. And Amory is there. Those people will fight to the death to protect him," I stood up again, letting the fear and anger fuel my courage.

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"Ha. Those people are nothing but weak throw-aways. They are nothing compared to the full force of the Guard," he scoffed at me.

"Then where did Kiran go?" I asked snidely.

"Well, alright, Amory is somewhat of a problem.

But not for long, you can trust me on that. The old man has seen the last of his days, this is the end for him," Sebastian leaned back against the wall, crossing his arms and smiling.

"So what will you do with Avalon once you get him? What will happen to him?" I asked, devis-ing a plan while the battle scene played through my head.

"He will be sacrificed, of course. Lucan will sacrifice him and take his magic. Simple," he said with finality.

"And me?" I asked bravely, not afraid of the answer.

"You get everything you want. You get Kiran and you get a crown. What more is there?" He laughed again, the short, twisted laughter of the very depraved.

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"What more is there?" I stomped my foot and the floor shook underneath the force of my magic.

"How about my brother? And my grandfather!

How about the people I love remaining unharmed?" I screamed.

"Eden, these are the consequences you pay for happiness, don't you get that? Kiran did this
for
you. This is all being done
for
you. Just relax, he'll be home soon, and then you can talk to him about it." Sebastian rolled his eyes.

"You know what?" I asked sarcastically. "I don't think I can wait. I think I'm going to go find him right now." I paused for a dramatic moment,

"Yep, yes, I'm going to go find him right now."

"Um, no you're not," a flash of worry crossed Sebastian's face and he moved in front of the elevator doors as if that would stop me.

"Get out of my way Sebastian. You do not want to meet my magic," I threatened in a deep, growly voice.

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"Eden, I don't want to fight you, but I have been ordered not to let you leave," he crossed his arms and stared me down.

"Oh, really? Then they really should have sent more than just you," I looked at him with pity for the smallest of seconds before sending the force of my magic at him; knocking him back against the elevator doors, bending the metal and opening them several inches.

Sebastian stood up quickly, sending magic my way. The burst hit me in the stomach knocking me back, but not over. I countered with another burst of magic that he dodged by diving behind the kitchen island and my magic hit the range above the stove sending stainless steel flying. I knocked over the refrigerator with my magic before Sebastian could react and he was pinned for a moment before throwing the huge piece of appliance off of him and jumping to his feet again.

"You're going to have to do better than that Eden!" Sebastian screamed at me, sending magic my way in short bursts. Some hit me, some 643/711

missed, but I dove behind the couch to stay away from the pain.

"Fine, but try to remember you asked for it!" I shouted at him. I stood up quickly to face him and held out my palm, drawing his magic to me.

He fought me, sending his magic in painful waves, but they were weakening as I drew out his magic and I was only growing stronger.

I stood up straighter, as he crumpled to the ground in a weakened heap on the floor. I continued to pull and drain every last ounce of magic, leaving him completely weakened and defenseless.

"Like I said, they should have sent more than just you," I wanted to finish him, to use his pathetic magic-less state and destroy him. I had never been more vengeful in my life and I was blind with rage, but I couldn't. I wasn't a murderer.

Even when he was an accomplice to the destruction of my family, I couldn't kill him.

He groaned from the floor, reaching a tired, shaking hand out to me. "Don't stop now Eden," he 644/711

mumbled humorously. "Finish it," he demanded, spitting with the force of his words.

"No," I said, venom dripping in the one syllable.

"You deserve a fate worse than death," I lifted him off of the ground with magic, forcing him to look me in the eye, "If something happens to my brother, if one little hair on his head is damaged, I will hunt you down Sebastian."

He smirked at me, hoping for the death he thought I was promising.

"I will hunt you down," I continued, "and make you watch as I do this same little number on Amelia. Then you will know what it's like to be responsible for the death of your sibling," I watched the panicked hysteria flood his face before I threw him against the wall, crashing him into the huge flat-screen TV and rendering him unconscious.

I left him on the floor, in a puddle of blood and raced to the elevators, using magic to accelerate the speed. I was to the bottom floor in a second and out onto the street in two more. It had started 645/711

to snow heavily by now and the streets were blanketed with fresh, pure snow. I ran across the street to the first fast car I could find and blew open the door with magic.

I started the car the same way and was racing down the streets of Omaha as fast as the car would let me go. I had to get to the farm. I had to help save the Resistance. I was the one who had made them vulnerable. I was the one who had opened them up for attack. And I was even still the one they were fighting to protect.

But I had to be the one to save Avalon. I couldn't let him take my place as sacrifice. He was destined for greatness, not to die meaninglessly at the hands of Lucan. Something had gone terribly wrong. This was not the future I had been promised.

I was what went wrong. I was the problem. If it weren't for me Avalon wouldn't be in danger, Amory wouldn't have to be fighting to save his grandchild and their group of loyal followers 646/711

wouldn't be martyring themselves to right my wrong.

But more than me, Kiran was to blame. Kiran, the man I had envisioned a lifetime of perfect happiness with. The man who had just asked me to marry him. The man who had promised such sweet lies. He was to blame.

I leaned over in the car and vomited again. How could I have been so blind? How could I have been so naive?

He was a snake. He promised me happiness in one hand and betrayed me at the deepest level with the other. Happiness was not only impossible for us, it was impossible with this life.

This life that suddenly held no meaning without my grandfather. Without my brother. With the blood of hundreds of people on my hands.

I would rectify this. I would make Kiran pay. I had no other choice. I would save Avalon and then I would finish Kiran, for good. And not have another thought about him again.

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43.

By the time I reached the farmhouse, visibility was near zero. The heavy snow fall had turned into a blizzard and road conditions were dangerous. I threw caution to the wind, however, hitting the gravel road with my foot pressed firmly down on the gas pedal. I used magic to keep the car on the road and took the long drive in seconds.

I slammed on the brakes, jumping out of the car before it had completely stopped. Unnoticed, I stood in mortified awe for a moment watching the battle from afar. The discarded car rolled into a ditch. I could hear the windshield wipers squeak against the glass, as I decided how I would fit myself into the destruction.

The snow blurred the lines between Immortals fighting each other. The metal barn doors had been blown off, and the florescent lights from the structured ceiling bounced an eerie glow onto the wall of snow. Blasts of magic and explosions of 649/711

electricity were the only other light sources in the grey blizzard of mayhem.

I stumbled forward, not knowing where to start.

There were too many people in trouble, too many guards to fight. A tear slipped from the corner of my eye; in the pit of my stomach grew the hopelessness, a feeling, only hours ago I thought I had banished forever.

Angelica, the wise, old woman lay pinned underneath the magic of a brutish Titan, his lips curled into the satisfaction of dominance. The image of the kind woman with bright violet eyes, twitching in pain, her long grey hair loosed and highlighted with crimson blood, broke something inside of me. In that moment I lost a good piece of me, a piece that stood for justice and virtue.

In its place grew the darkness of hate and righteous anger. A sticky, consuming cloud of malicious vengeance spread through my veins like wild fire and clarity found me. Dangerous, vengeful clarity cleared my mind and I let out a feral battle cry, announcing that I had arrived.

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I started with Angelica, blasting the Titan away from her and slamming him against the white porch of the farmhouse. I heard his bones break and the crash of the wood from the porch echoed on the muffled, blizzarded battlefield.

I watched the Titan stand up slowly, healing his body while trying to identify the source who had sent him flying. I pulled the roof above him down before he could heal any further and then reached out my palm, draining his magic faster than I ever had before.

I wanted to run to Angelica, to move her, to help her, but there were others in more peril. Fiona, Ryder's wife was facing two Titans who were laughing back and forth as if her destruction was a joke. I was at her side in seconds, sending the two of them flying and taking their magic before they hit the ground.

There were more, nameless Resistance members, that I hadn't taken the time to meet or hadn't had the chance, but needed my help. The farm was surrounded by the brutal Guard, and the more 651/711

Titans I destroyed, the more seemed to pop up, greedily taking the lives of the innocent.

I was furious, blinded by rage. I was the collector of Immortal magic, taking from those who killed so easily and saving those helpless souls that I had betrayed. I moved from one fight to the other, knowing the heart wrenching truth, that as soon as I moved on they would be caught in another unwinnable battle. But I had no choice. I had to find Avalon, I had to protect Avalon.

In the back of my mind, I thought fleetingly over what I would do, should I meet Kiran in the middle of this. I wanted revenge. I wanted death.

With so many innocent lives staining my hands, what was one more righteous kill?

The Titans just kept coming. They surrounded me time and time again, three or four of their kind tried to stop me, but I couldn't even hesitate before draining them of their life's blood and leaving them weakened and incapacitated on the frozen ground.

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The sky continued to wage it's own war against the earth. The blizzard intensified, the snow blinding visibility and the wind whipping violently through the open fields of the farm land.

I couldn't see Avalon, I would have to feel where he was. I paused for a moment over my latest victim and turned my attention to him. He was fighting Kiran, a well-matched battle on its own, but Kiran had the help of a dozen guards. Avalon was losing. These guards were the cream of the crop, their magic not quite so easily accessible. I finally recognized their location through the wall of snow. They were back by the horses, through the metal barn.

I turned, intending to find Avalon but a Titan stood in my way. His arms were crossed with the look of intended evil, a dark mask in the ghostly glow of the snow.