Under an Onyx Sky (Elemental Enchanters Series Book 4) (5 page)

“Why didn’t he bring them with you?”

He smiled wistfully. “They are Ephemerals.”

Ava hesitated. “So how do you—.”

“Know if they’re alive?”

She nodded.

“I have ways.” He reached into a desk drawer and pulled out a gold, marble bowl. “It’s a Scrying Bowl. You can see anyone you want. Loved ones, alive or dead. I’ve seen my girls grow into beautiful young women. My wife never moved on. She still grieves though. I told her to move on without me, but she hoped I would be able to end it. I haven’t been able to until I heard about you all.”

“So can anyone see their loved ones?” Thomas asked.

“Yes. You have to concentrate on them.” Klaus handed him the bowl and Thomas stared into it. A few minutes later, his eyes watered and then he gave it to Ava. She took it and looked inside the bowl. There was water in it, but she didn’t know where it had come from. She focused on her father, and slowly, an image appeared of him. He was sitting on the couch looking at the picture of Ava, her mom, and him. The one he’d given her for Christmas. Ava closed her eyes tight, and then she peered into the water once more. She saw Gabriel, alone in the darkness. His crystal blue eyes were open, but looked lost. Her chest tightened and her heart dropped to the pit of her stomach. She handed the bowl to Eric, but he waved his hand.

“I can’t handle that,” he said.

Ava gave the Scrying Bowl to Klaus. “Where are they keeping the rest of our group?”

“You can’t go near them,” Klaus quickly said.

Thomas bounced his leg. “Why? We have to save them.”

“I understand you want to save them, trust me I do. But you must act as though you don’t know them.”

He stood up and began pacing in front of the fireplace. “We can’t even see how they are? Just through this ball?”

“I’m sorry. It’s all I can do right now. But rest assured, they have not been tortured. Yet.” He hesitated.

“What?” Ava asked.

“Havok may use them for you to torture.”

“Wait.” Melissa appeared next to Ava. “He’s going to make us torment them?”

Klaus slightly nodded, and Ava gasped.

Thomas pulled at his hair and cursed.

Katarina looked worried and her brown eyes brimmed with tears.

Lance sighed and took a seat. Dread settled in his dark eyes, and he smoothed over his short hair. Back and forth.

“Why would he make us do that?” Peter asked.

“He is punishing them for not joining his army, and for being a part of the Elders’ side,” Klaus replied.

“But we were a part of that same side!” Eric shook his head.

“You joined. And the Elementals, well, we all know he wanted them.”

“I can’t do it,” Ava said. “I can’t hurt any of them. Or torture them.” Tears pooled in her eyes as her breaths came out in short gasps. Her heart lodged itself in her throat, and she felt sick to her stomach. She cradled her head in her hands, and shut her eyes tight. She hated seeing a glimpse of Gabriel sitting in the cell. Alone. Lost. Angry. He deserved better than that. But she had done that to him.

She felt arms around her. “Ava, it’s going to be okay,” Melissa said. “You know how to turn it off. I saw you today. You were brilliant.”

“No, I can’t.” She shook her head. “I can’t do this.”

“It’s only temporary.” The way she said it angered and hurt Ava, like it was no big deal. But she knew Melissa didn’t mean it that way.

“Would you be able to torture Lance?”

Melissa looked away.

“I didn’t think so.”

“If you want to succeed over Havok, you’ll have to do things you don’t want to do,” Klaus said. “I understand if you don’t want to do them, but I had just hoped you all could end this.” He frowned, looking off in the distance. Ava guessed he was thinking about his loved ones.

Guilt landed on Ava. It was why she agreed to join the Cimmerians. This was something she had to do, whether she wanted to or not. She was undercover. She had to do whatever it took to get the job done.

She took a deep breath.

Melissa squeezed her. “I promise we can do this.”

“Can’t we warn them?” Thomas asked. “Or explain to them what’s going on?”

“I can’t get you access to them,” Klaus said. “I know it’s a lot to ask of all of you. I’m well aware of that. But I’ve seen what you can do.”

“We want to take them down,” Melissa said. “It’s just we never thought we’d have to hurt the people we love.”

“I understand.” Klaus frowned.

Ava wiped her tears. It was time to be strong again. “We’ll be ready.”

The fire in Klaus’s room still crackled as everyone gathered around it. Watching the beautiful orange flames rise and fall reminded Ava of spending all those nights in the library with Gabriel. She missed those nights, and hoped one day they would have them again.

“So I’m a little confused about something,” Melissa said. “Why the hell are Peter and Katarina hugging and kissing each other?” Her face twisted in curiosity.

Ava couldn’t help but laugh, but when she glanced at Peter and Katarina, she felt a little guilty since they seemed embarrassed.

“Oh Ava and Peter broke up,” Gillian said.

Melissa’s jaw dropped. “What? When? How? Why?”

“Yeah, you’ve missed a lot.”

“I’ll say. What happened?”

Peter shifted. “I think we’re going to our rooms.” He got to his feet and helped Katarina to hers. Her blue hair still looking bright. Ava wondered if it was her real hair color since it was always that color.

“Be careful when you leave,” Klaus said. “If anyone spots you, tell them you got lost. And you two cannot walk together.”

Katarina nodded. “Thank you.”

When Peter turned to Katarina, gazing into her eyes, Ava looked away and choked back the tears. Her heart dropped to her stomach. Not because she wanted to kiss Peter, but because she wanted Gabriel to sweep her hair aside, and place a gentle kiss on her cheek. She wanted him to tell her he loved her. She hoped Peter and Katarina knew how lucky they were.

She cleared her throat, and when Peter and Katarina finished their kiss, they left.

“So what happened?” Melissa asked again. “You and Peter were like the epic love story of the century.”

“We just grew apart,” Ava said.

She raised an eyebrow, her green eyes clearly in disbelief. “Which translates to he started liking someone else.”

Ava lifted her shoulder. “It happens. He’s better off with Katarina.”

Melissa narrowed her eyes. “Strangely, I believe you. But your actions a minute ago beg to differ. So, what happened?”

She listened while Ava told her about the breakup. “It wasn’t easy getting over him, and Havok used that to his advantage.”

Melissa shook her head. “I can’t believe after all that, Peter just left you.”

“It’s okay.”

She studied Ava closely. “You went through a lot, and had your heart severely broken. How are you seriously okay with this?”

Ava let out a sigh. “Because I realized that Peter and I weren’t right for each other. I realized that there was…someone else that I loved.”

Melissa curled her lips in an all-too-knowing smile. “Oh? Who is the lucky man?”

“Gabriel.”

“I knew it. I told you, you’d fall in love with a hot Enchanter. I knew something was up with him. He always tried to hide it, but I could tell he was into you.”

Ava rolled her eyes. They got to act like teenage girls, if only for a second. But then reality settled in again. “I know he doesn’t understand why I willingly joined the Cimmerians, and I have to talk to him.”

“He understands more than you think,” Eric said. “He loves you, Ava. That’s something you can rely on and hold onto.”

Ava took a deep breath and held back the tears. “I wish I could see him. But I’m so glad to be here with you.” She turned to Melissa and glanced at Jeremy.

Jeremy squeezed Gillian close to his body and kissed her temple. She closed her eyes, and a complacent grin spread on her thick lips. “Us, too. It was so hard being away from you all. And being here. We didn’t know what to do. They brought us here as prisoners, hoping it would get you guys to come save us and then they’d take you all.”

Lance grabbed Melissa’s hand. “It was tough without you all. We spent months powerless, depressed, and with heartache.”

Melissa raised her eyebrows. “Powerless?”

“Sorcha put a sleep spell on us and left us without powers,” Ava said.

“Damn.”

“We went through hell to get here,” Lance told her, his dark eyes full of sadness. “They played with our minds at every chance they got. I had dreams of you convincing me to side with Havok. Gillian had the same dreams about Jeremy. Ava.” He shook his head. “Ilya morphed into Peter and Gabriel and fucked with her head. She fell into a coma and we saw what she went through.”

Ava shivered as her mind conjured up the images of her friends and herself burning at the stake. Eve pretending to be Melissa. Xavier ripping her arm from her socket and holding her against her will. She didn’t want to remember any of it. She clenched her teeth and her fists.

“Hey.” Melissa took her hand and forced it to unclench. “It’s okay now. They won’t play with your mind any longer. They’ll all pay for what they’ve done.”

Ava bit her lip to keep her chin from quivering. “I’ve missed you so much.”

Melissa drew her in for a hug. “I’ve missed you too. It’s been hard. We’ve been living the Cimmerian life for months. Hiding the truth from them. Acting like them. Pretending like we belong here and that the Elders were the ones who kidnapped us.”

“Months? When did you get here?”

“All we remember is being knocked out at the battle and then waking up here,” Jeremy said, his topaz eyes flashing with sadness.

“We were a little surprised you willingly joined,” Melissa said. “I wondered what you were up to, but you were so different. All of you. You showed no emotions, but neither did we. Who taught you to do that? We had Maggie and Kira.”

“Gabriel,” Ava said.

“Wow.” She shook her head. “I underestimated his strength.”

Eric scratched the back of his neck. “He used to be a Cimmerian.”

Melissa’s eyes bulged. “What?”

“He didn’t know any better. It wasn’t until I met him that he learned of the Elders.”

“So that’s what Havok was talking about when he saw Gabriel. Were he and Eve an item or something? I mean she was all over him.”

Ava couldn’t help the surge of jealousy that stirred inside. “No. But she loved him. Or still does.”

“What made you and Jeremy join?” Thomas asked. “Or did Havok send you to Klaus against your will?”

“We followed Maggie’s lead,” Jeremy answered. “We trusted her.”

“Is she faking all of it?” Ava asked. “She’s at Havok’s side like a shadow.”

“That’s her job now. She’s one of Havok’s guards.”

“Is she off-limits now?” Lance asked. “I mean, are we not allowed to talk to her?”

“You can’t get to her. She’s constantly at his side. He’s looking for more guards though.”

“What about Joss?” Eric asked. “Where is she?

Jeremy exchanged a hesitant look with Melissa.

“What?”

Ava stilled and watched Eric’s face twist in worry.

“What is it?” he asked again.

“She tried to attack a couple of Cimmerians,” Klaus finally said. “They still think she lost her memory, but they weren’t very easy on her. While practicing, they were relentless with her. They’ll be the same with you all. They won’t make friends with you. And they’ll make it hard on you.”

“Is she okay?”

“She’s being punished as if she was a prisoner. But she’s in solitary confinement. That’s what they do to those who are unruly. And they stick together so of course their story will be the same and Havok trusts them.”

A muscle in Eric’s jaw twitched. “So we’re supposed to just sit back and take it?”

“No, but you have to do things so they won’t think you’re attacking. She got upset and tried to electrocute two people.”

Eric smirked. “That’s my girl. When does she come out of confinement?”

“I’m not sure. Could be days.”

“What?” Ava’s jaw dropped. “This place is ridiculous. What about the prisoners? How long will they remain there?”

“I’m not sure,” Klaus said.

She buried her face in her hands, and then felt a hand on her shoulder.

“Don’t worry Ava,” Eric said. “He’ll be fine. He’s strong and he knows what it’s like here. He can handle this.”

“How can you be so confident?”

“Because I know him. I know Joss, too.”

“He thinks I betrayed him.”

“We’ll sort out the truth with them,” Eric told her. “We have to. I promise you that.”

“He hates me for what I’ve done. And withholding the truth. Now we have to torture them.”

Eric held Ava’s hands. His russet eyes stared into hers. “Once we explain it to him and everyone else, they will understand. He still loves you. You are everything to him, and he won’t give up on you so quickly.”

She nodded. “Okay.”

Gillian sighed. “This is going to be an even longer journey.”

Ava wasn’t sure how she would handle hurting Gabriel. Or any of them. Maybe she wouldn’t have to. Maybe she and the others could prove themselves in other ways. But knowing how sick and twisted Havok was, she doubted he would bypass punishing the prisoners. Ava would have to use the heart of stone and turn it all off. It was the only way.