Reckless Magic (46 page)

“
What do you mean you don’t
know?” Avalon demanded, his defenses suddenly on high
alert.

“
They wouldn’t take him
without her,” Jericho, the voice of reason, chimed in.

“
You don’t know that. They
could be hoping she leads them to the rest of us,” Avalon retorted,
irritated and anxious.

“
If anything it would be the
other way around and you know that,” Jericho rolled his eyes and
walked over to shake my hand. “Your brother is such a drama queen,”
he joked.

“
Tell me about it,” I agreed
sarcastically. “And no more talking about me like I’m not here.” I
addressed both boys. “I’m as much a part of this thing as you two.
From now on, I am always included and always informed,” I folded my
arms as if to strengthen my point.

Avalon rolled his eyes and began a
search of the premises. I let him without any intention of joining
him. I took Jericho’s side in that I thought wherever Amory was, he
was just fine.

“
You look like you just came
through hell,” Jericho, still at my side, remarked.

“
I pretty much feel like
it.,” I remembered my stiff body before I used the healing power of
magic and cringed.

“
So, what are you doing here
anyways? I thought you had been ordered to stay at home?” Jericho
pried for an explanation; but I was not totally sure if I was
emotionally ready to relive the last seventy two hours.

“
I don’t even know where to
begin,” I looked past Jericho at the breathtaking view of the
Carpathian Mountains. The sunrise had painted the sky beautiful
shades of pink and orange, and the soft light made the autumn hues
of the trees brilliant.

“
You better figure it out,”
Avalon grunted grumpily, while continuing his sweep of the
perimeter. “I want a full debriefing, and I want a good reason why
I had to leave my mission in the goddamn middle of the night,” I
let out a burst of laughter when I looked over at Jericho and
watched him roll his eyes.

“
You’re brother thinks he’s
Napoleon Bonaparte,” he shook his head and watched Avalon
disdainfully.

“
Seriously though, have you
heard anything?” I asked a little more humbly. I was the reason
Avalon had to leave his mission. What if they weren’t successful
and it was all my fault?

“
No. We haven’t heard
anything,” Jericho responded in a meek voice. “They’ve been
incommunicado since before we left them.”

“
When will you find out?” I
was more nervous now than I had ever been.

“
Not sure. If all went as
planned, hopefully soon,” Avalon stopped his busy work to join us.
He bit his thumbnail anxiously.

“
Jericho and I are going to
find out exactly what happened right now,” Amory was suddenly
involved in our conversation, making his way over the same rise
that Avalon and Jericho had come by. He was carrying a cloth bag
with him that smelled like a bakery. My stomach growled loudly and
I realized that I hadn’t eaten in days.

“
Is that breakfast?” I
asked, barely able to restrain myself from pouncing on Amory and
ripping the bag open to find out myself.

“
I thought you might be
hungry,” he gave me a timid smile and opened the cloth satchel to
reveal several loaves of bread, apples and bottles of
water.

I grabbed a loaf of bread and
discovered that it was still warm; it must have just finished
baking. Immediately I tore off a piece and shoved it into my mouth.
I could not have been more unladylike, but I was having trouble
caring. Jericho watched me devour a loaf of bread in seconds with
his mouth slightly open.

“
What?” I mumbled through a
full mouth.

“
Like I was saying,” Amory
also watched me with an expression that was both disgusted and
amused. “Jericho and I will return to the Citadel to check the
progress of the mission. If they failed last night without you,
then most likely Jericho and I will have to do what we can alone
this morning. The executions won’t start until the afternoon, so we
have a couple of hours yet to do the impossible. Did everyone go
last night, are we alone?”

“
We left Roxie and Fiona to
run communications once the channels were open again,” Avalon
responded still chewing on his thumbnail. His stance was wide; he
was totally in his element.

“
Good, that will be good.
Ok, so we will clean up in Sibiu. What about Lilly Mason? Is she
with the others or in a different part of the castle?” Amory asked
the question that had been gnawing at my heart since the boys
arrived.

“
Lilly Mason was released
yesterday,” Avalon said incredulously.

“
She was!” I practically
shouted; I almost didn’t believe it was possible.

“
Ok, good,” Amory responded,
more calmly than I had managed. “Avalon you will take Eden back
home immediately. And under no circumstances is she allowed to make
any decisions. Do you understand?” Amory looked directly into my
eyes. “Your friend is safe; there are no more reasons not to
listen. You will do exactly as Avalon says. Got it?” I nodded
quickly, I had no intentions of ever stepping out of line again,
although I couldn’t help but feel like my efforts were worth it now
that Lilly was free.

“
How do you want us to go?
Timisoara?” Avalon asked as if he were a travel expert.

“
No, it’s too exposed.
You’re going to have to go the long way. I believe our most
efficient but incognito option is to cross into Hungary, ditch the
rental and take a bus or train into Austria, once in Austria
utilize the trains. I think the Zurich airport will be your best
bet to leave Europe undetected,” Avalon nodded along to Amory’s
directions, but I felt completely lost. I tried to conjure up a
picture of a European map in my head, but couldn’t trace the route
mentally. I guessed I really would just have to trust Avalon. Oh
boy.

“
Do you want us to take our
time?” Avalon asked all the right questions.

“
No, get out of here as
quickly as you can. The last thing we need is for you two to join
the exiting traffic. Get home before the Festival is over,” More
instructions I felt like I just barely understood. “Where are the
cars?”

“
Sighisoara,” Jericho
answered.

“
Good, good,” Amory paused
for several moments and appeared to be going over things in his
head. “Ok, I think that’s everything. We’ll see you at home,” Amory
shook hands with Avalon and then Jericho and Avalon shook hands.
The boys all began to walk back over the hill and I followed
quickly behind them.

Once over the hill I saw that we were
at the edge of the town they had just been talking about. The town
of Sighisoara was spread out in a quaint and quiet cityscape that
fanned over the smaller foothills of the Carpathian Mountains. The
buildings were hundreds of years old and the still sleeping city
had a very ancient world feel to it.

I kept pace with Avalon until we found
the cars tucked away in the rustic village. Both vehicles were the
classic Dacias that seemed to be the only style of car allowed in
Romania. Avalon pulled out a set of keys and politely opened the
passengers’ side door for me.

“
Oh Eden, take this,” Amory
walked over and handed me the cloth bag of food. I pulled out an
apple and immediately took a bite. My grimy teeth were grateful for
the natural cleansing the apple blessed them with. “There is a set
of clothes at the bottom of the bag,” Amory kissed the top of my
head before returning to the other rusted Dacia where Jericho was
waiting.

“
What’s wrong with what I’m
wearing?” I asked sarcastically. Amory grinned happily back. “Hey
Amory,” I yelled quickly as he began to enter his car, he paused,
looking up at me. “Thank you,” I said, full of emotion.

“
One day, I hope you return
the favor,” his smile turned sad and then he was in the car and
Jericho was driving away, leaving us in their trail of heavy
exhaust.

“
Let’s go,” Avalon yelled
impatiently at me.

I sat down on the worn upholstery and
thought longingly of my yellow Land Rover. I would never take it
for granted again. I continued to munch on my apple, feeling very
much at peace. Avalon gunned the gas and took off through the
winding, hilly streets of another beautiful Romanian
city.

I decided, I would very much like to
come back to Romania under different circumstances. I couldn’t help
but be excited for the remaining leg of my journey. Compared to the
last few days it sounded very relaxing. For my first trip to
Europe, I felt like this was quite the crash course. At least for
the second portion I would have company, and it sounded like Avalon
knew where he is going. That would be a nice change.

“
So Lilly was really
released?” I asked, breaking the silence.

“
I guess so. Apparently your
boyfriend spoke on her behalf and she was given a second chance.
They’re going to let her return to Kingsley and everything,”
Avalon’s voice was skeptical and I had a hard time believing the
news as well.

I sat back, admiring the scenery, once
again silent. Kiran did save Lilly. I made him promise he would,
but after the fact I wasn’t sure what to expect. Butterflies
attacked my stomach as I remembered the emotion in his eyes during
our farewell.

The depth of longing I felt for him
didn’t seem possible for someone my age. My heart was gripped with
clarity; completely full of adoration for the boy I could
officially consider the love of my life. My magic was stirred with
the memories of our energies mingled and wild together. My cheeks
blushed at the thought of my mouth once again pressed against
his.

Against all reason and circumstance we
had found each other in a world torn apart by our very existence.
In order to be together we would have to defy all odds, defy all
logic, and defy all influence. I saw two battlefields in front of
me; the one that pinned Kiran against me, and the one that we would
have to forge in order to be together. I understood the purpose of
the Resistance, but the battle I chose to fight would be the one
that brought me closer to the man I loved with every fiber of my
being.

45.

I stretched my arms and lifted my head
off of the cold glass window. I yawned wide and shook my head,
making the crick in my neck disappear. Looking out at the Austrian
country side flying by, I smiled. Europe had captured my heart; if
only I hadn’t been on the run to save my life.

Avalon seemed in deep thought as he
too stared out of the train window in silence. Field, farm, field,
farm, lake, field, farm, mountain…. Austria was breathtaking. Of
course I said the same thing about Romania, and then again about
the rustic beauty of Hungary. Austria was a different kind of
beauty however. The clean and contemporary buildings and more
modern farms made it clear that this was a different side of
Europe.

I pulled my ivory cardigan closer
around my waist; the train air was frigid and although I was
grateful for the new set of clothes Amory picked out for me, they
were obviously picked for convenience and practicality, and not
necessarily style. A pair of baggy, brown work pants clearly meant
for a man, a plaid red colored shirt and an ivory cardigan felt
like the nicest clothes anyone had ever given me after what my
cruise wear had been through. I also had had to retire my Nebraska
sweatshirt; but I promised myself I would buy another one paying
tribute to the Huskers when I returned home.

I wiped my fingers beneath my eyes,
self-consciously. I remembered what I looked like when I was
finally able to assess the damage in a Hungarian train station
bathroom. I did the best I could to rinse out and wash my hair in
the small sink; I at least had gotten it out of the hair tie and
into a neat bun on the nape of my neck. It wasn’t pretty, but at
least I didn’t look crazy anymore.

My face, arms and legs were covered in
dirt and grime and I would definitely need a long, hot shower to
feel completely clean, but I was much improved, although my legs
needed a good shave.

My face took the longest to scrub
clean; besides the dirt, I had had to deal with a mess of makeup
plastered to my face. Never again would I travel wearing
non-waterproof mascara and black eyeliner. By the time I exited the
small bathroom, my face was bright red and swollen from all of the
scrubbing.

I sent a burst of magic through my
body, heating my blood and awakening my senses. Avalon naturally
felt the surge himself and sat up a little straighter. I smiled at
him, hoping to draw him into conversation, but he stared past me in
a dreamlike state. He was so worried about the outcome of the
mission he could barely function. And even though he carried an
international phone and glanced at it every other second, we hadn’t
heard from anyone since we left Romania.

Avalon was skilled at international
travel and clearly used to being followed. He had taken every
precaution necessary to ensure we were alone. After ditching the
Dacia on the Romania/Hungary border, he set it on fire, making sure
any physical evidence we left behind would be destroyed. We then
took a bus through most of Hungary, changing only once we were
close to the Austrian border. Since Austria we had changed trains
as often as we could while still moving in the general direction of
Switzerland.