Dark Fae: Legacy of Magic Book Two Page 8

  When I looked out into the hallway, I didn't see anyone. I didn't smell coffee or breakfast. Was I the first one up?

  On tiptoes, I made my way to the room we'd been in last night looking at the old books. They were still sitting out on the table. Sunlight poured through the sheer curtains on the window, filling the room with a warm golden light.

  Settling into the chair, I started flipping through the books again. Was it possible to open the gates after we took down Terra? My hand paused in the act of turning a page. Today was the day we were going to meet the other Sayges to plan our attack on Terra. Shouldn't the others be up? When would the elders be here?

  The floorboards behind me creaked, letting me know I wasn't the only one awake. I spun around in my chair to face the door. Brenon was standing there, arms crossed over his chest, a soft smile on his lips.

  "How long have you been standing there?"

  He dropped his arms and walked over to the table, sitting in the chair next to mine. "Just a few minutes. You looked so focused, I didn't want to disturb you."

  My internal temperature felt like it was rising just from his presence next to me. It might not be a good idea to be alone with him. This close to him. I caught myself staring at the scars that crisscrossed his face. Were those part of the curse or was he injured before that happened? Had he felt the pain they caused? I bit down on my lip and looked away. It was bad manners to stare, but even more, it was dangerous to let myself start to feel so drawn to him.

  "It's okay if you want to look," he said. "I know I'm hideous. Especially out of the makeup and in the light of day."

  "No," I said. "That's not what I was thinking at all."

  He leaned in closer to me. "What were you thinking?"

  Heat rose to my chest and my cheeks at the intensity of his stare. I'd tried to ignore those electric green eyes, but they sent my heart into a fit of flutters. My mouth felt dry as I tried to form words. "I wondered how you got the scars. And if they hurt."

  His index finger traced zig-zags over my hand, and a thrill shot through me at his touch. "No, I didn't exactly feel physical pain. They came with the curse. Punishment for my vanity."

  Goosebumps rose on my arm as his fingers moved up to my elbow. "I'm glad it didn't hurt."

  His hand was on the back of my neck now. It felt warm and soft against my burning skin. He smiled, but his eyes remained serious as if studying me."Why are you helping me? After everything you've been through?"

  His words sent reality crashing down on me. Aunt Kay's house, finding the spell, defeating Terra. "You know why."

  I turned away from him, moving my neck away from his hand. He pulled away and sat back against the chair.

  "Aside from wanting to save my own life, I do care what happens to you and the rest of the Circus. Nobody deserves to live the way you all do. Exiled from your home, without access to your magic."

  "So you do care about me?" he asked.

  Before I could say anything, a knock sounded on the open door. I looked over to see Joe standing there, bleary-eyed. "Morning. Did I miss something?"

  "Just digging through the books again. Didn't want to wake you." I stood, then despite my efforts to ignore him, glanced at Brenon.

  He winked at me, and I looked back at Joe. "Think you can show me where the coffee supplies are?"

  "You got it." Joe turned and left the room. I followed him, this time, avoiding turning back to see Brenon before I left.

  "Maybe she didn't leave any record of how to open the gates," Maggie said as she shoved a pop tart in her mouth.

  "It has to be there. I'm sure we can find something," I said.

  "You looked for hours last night," she said. "What if it's not there?"

  "There has to at least be a clue, and we'll find it," Gia said.

  The group around the kitchen table grew silent, and eyes darted to the entrance. I turned in my chair and saw Brenon in the arched entryway. Aunt Kay had called to everyone in the house when breakfast was ready, but only the Sayges and Joe had joined us. Brenon had remained upstairs. Possibly in the same room where I had left him this morning. That was nearly an hour ago.

  "Hungry?" I asked.

  "They don't have to eat," Adam said. "It's not necessary for survival. The whole no heartbeat thing."

  I shot Adam a glare, then turned back to Brenon. "There's still coffee."

  He held up a hand. "No, thanks. I'm not here for coffee. I'm here because I think I found the spell."

  Maggie began coughing, having startled herself with too much pop tart in her mouth. Adam smacked her on the back.

  Aunt Kay stood. "Show me."

  The two of them left the room, and I glanced over at Gia. She raised her eyebrows, then lifted her chin toward the ceiling. I nodded. The two of us practically ran up the stairs to the small bedroom to see what Brenon had found.

  Aunt Kay was leaning over one of the old books, squinting through her reading glasses. Brenon stood next to her, hands clasped in front of him, patiently waiting for her verdict. Every time I looked over at him, his gaze was fixed on the book. He didn't even look my way once. My stomach sunk in an unwelcome sense of disappointment. I shouldn't care if he was looking at me, but I did.

  Finally, after what felt like hours, Aunt Kay rose and moved her glasses to the top of her head. She looked at me. "It'll work. And I think you can do this without harming yourself."

  I let out a long breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding and cautiously walked to the book. "Can I see?"

  She moved aside, and I looked down at the open page. There was a drawing of what looked like a giant net that divided the page in two. On one side of the net was a scene with evergreen trees and a crescent moon. On the other was a small house with fields that resembled wheat or some other tall grass, not unlike the fields that surrounded this house. In beautiful lettering were the words When two become one, the curse is undone.

  A shiver ran down my spine. Wasn't that what we already knew? That had to be referring to sex. I squinted at the page and noticed that at the very bottom, there was more writing. This was a single row of text that started on the bottom of the page and wound it's way up along the edge, then continued along the top. I had to turn the book upside down to see the text as it wrapped around.

  Leaning in closer, I tried to read the added text. The letters were so small that even with normal vision, it was almost impossible to decipher. "Is that even written in English?"

  "It's Fae." Brenon reached for the book. "May I?"

  I pushed it over to him and watched as he read the words.

  "A child of sun and moon, with pure intentions, may open the gates. At the moment of last dusk, with magic in her heart, the child can call upon the old gods and the new and offer peace between the realms through a sacrifice."

  My whole body tensed as the words rang through my mind. "Sacrifice?"

  "Um, Ara's a vegetarian, she won't even eat meat, let alone kill a goat or something," Joe said from the doorway.

  "It's not that kind of sacrifice," Aunt Kay said. "Generally, it's a blood sacrifice, but that just means a prick of your finger as you say the words. It sounds more dramatic that way."

  "I'm not so sure that's a good idea, Kay," Gia said. "No offense, Brenon, but you might want to go the other route and find yourself a girl. I mean, it won't harm Ara, but when you do a spell that involves blood magic, there's a steeper price."

  "Price?" I asked.

  "All magic comes with a price," Gia said. "And blood magic usually costs the spell weaver more."

  I clenched my fists and tried not to show how much my insides were trembling. "It's worth it, Gia. If we don't get the Elders to agree to have the Sayges help the Circus, we won't be able to finish off Terra. If Terra sticks around, I'm dead. Whatever the price is, it's got to be better than death."

  Chapter 15

  "Ara, we can find another way," Brenon said.

  "I told you I would do this, and I keep my promises."

  The
room was silent for a moment, and I could feel the eyes of everyone on Brenon and me. The tension between us was palpable. Finally, he nodded once. "Alright."

  "That's settled, then." Aunt Kay stood. "Ara, you can use the shower if you'd like. Maggie brought you a change of clothes. The elders will be here soon. We should all prepare to meet them. First impressions didn't go so well last time."

  I scoffed. That was an understatement. Last time the elders had come to my aunt's house, Tristan had shown up and threatened all of us. It hadn't even been that much time since that happened. Had it been only a day or two? I couldn't even keep track anymore.

  My life had been moving in fast forward since joining up with the Rose Circus. Would I still have ended up in this mess if Ryder had never gone in the first place? A terrifying thought ran through my mind. If I hadn't ended up with Brenon and the Circus, would Terra have found me first? Would I be helping her right now or would I be dead?

  "Here," Maggie handed me a pile of black clothing.

  "Thanks." I took the clothes from her and made my way to the shower. It would be nice to get cleaned up.

  Grateful that I didn't have to borrow clothes from my aunt, I pulled on the black tank top and black pants Maggie lent me. They fit well, and I was thankful that I was covered up and not expected to wear anything too formal.

  My hair was still wet, leaving a puddle on the back of the shirt. I shivered, colder than I should be on a clear, sunny fall day. Helping myself to another cup of coffee in the kitchen, I took a moment to lean against the counter and close my eyes. I took a few deep breaths, the kind my therapist had taught me to take, brief mind-clearing meditation. I had a feeling that once the elders arrived, we'd be going non-stop again. Terra was too much of a threat to waste too much time planning. We'd need to act quickly. Which meant Brenon would be out of my life forever soon. I tried to push the thought away, but his eyes looked back at me in my memory.

  "Ara."

  I opened my eyes to find myself looking at the real version of those eyes.

  "The elders might say some things about me, or try to dissuade you from helping me." He leaned against the counter next to me.

  "I know more about you than you realize," I said, recalling the information I'd gotten from Goldie on the train.

  He shrugged. "Maybe, but you never know what they'll say. The Sayges have hated the Fae since the time of the curse. There's centuries of bad blood."

  "Are you saying they might make up bad things about you?"

  "Not sure. But I want you to know, you can still get out of this. If you don't want to help us open the gate, I understand." He moved away from me, pausing in the arched doorway.

  "I'm not going to back down, you know. I need this just as much as you. It's not all about you."

  "That's my girl." He smiled, then left the kitchen.

  I took another deep breath before sipping my coffee. My life was so strange now. If I got rid of the threat of Terra, I could return to normal. Maybe work as a substitute teacher for the rest of the school year somewhere. Get a job next fall, maybe meet a normal guy, buy a house in the suburbs. Be blissfully, ignorantly normal. No more glowing supernaturals. No more magic. Just boring, typical life. The way it was supposed to be. A flicker of something I couldn't identify rose in the pit of my stomach. Like something inside me was mocking me and my desire to eliminate magic from my world.

  The doorbell rang and muffled conversation sounded from the direction of the living room. The elders were here. I was probably the only one they were waiting on. Ignoring the strange sensation in my gut, I chugged the last of the now-cool coffee and set the cup on the counter. It was time to convince the Sayges that they needed to help the Circus.

  I paused before I walked into the living room, I could see the four elders seated on the couch, just as they had been the last time they had come here. They were engaged in conversation, and none of them noticed me hovering just beyond the circle of furniture that sectioned off the living room from the entryway.

  "How do we know she's not a Fae spy?" One of the twins asked. "She came back with him."

  "Hey, I might not like this guy, but he saved her life, more than once," Joe said.

  I stiffened, surprised to hear Joe defending Brenon. He had a point, though. Brenon had saved me, and while he was hoping to use me to do exactly what I was planning to do now, I wasn't sure that was the sole reason for him helping me.

  "Who are you, again?" The woman turned her gaze to Joe.

  "He's my friend, and he's been helping us," I said as I entered the room.

  The woman looked down for a moment, seeming to realize how rude she had been. Then she looked up at me. "I am surprised to find you alive. Have a nice family reunion?"

  "It was lovely, thank you. Terra tried to kill me, and Tristan helped me get away. If you have questions, just ask them. I'm not here to play games. I'm here to propose a business arrangement that will mutually benefit every party represented in this room."

  She pressed her lips into a tight line, and I swore I heard Maggie choke down a laugh.

  "I can respect that," the woman said, rising from her seat and extending a hand. "I'm Mercy, the Head Elder. Why don't you sit and we'll discuss your proposal."

  After a quick glance around the room, I noticed additional seating was added, but the only open place was next to Brenon on the love seat. My new Sayge friends may be willing to work together, but they still didn't trust him enough to sit next to him.

  I joined Brenon on the love seat, careful to leave a space between us so that none of the Elders would get the wrong idea about our relationship...whatever it might be at the moment.

  "First," I began. "Thank you for coming. I know our last meeting didn't end well and I want to address that incident."

  The elders' eyes turned to me.

  "I found out from my Aunt Kay that Tristan is my father, making me half Dark-Fae, and Half-Sayge. I'm still not sure what that means, other than the fact that I have some power over the curse that landed Brenon and his friends here, and the possibility of being able to open the gate between the realms." I paused, watching for a reaction.

  "I'm not sure I like where this is going," Mercy said. "We've kept that gate closed for generations. There are creatures far worse than your new friend beyond that gate."

  "You do realize, my new friend, Brenon," I swept my hand in his direction, "could have broken the curse and opened the gates at any time."

  The room was silent. I waited. It was like being back in a classroom again, and I stared down the elders the way I would stare down my students when I wanted one of them to answer a question I had asked.

  Finally, the other twin spoke. "We have heard rumors of what he could do, but figured it must not be true since he hadn't done it."

  "Yes, why would you not break the curse if you could do so?" Mercy asked Brenon.

  I turned to Brenon and raised my eyebrows, encouraging him to speak.

  "If we had opened the gates and broken the curse, Terra might have been able to gain the strength she needed to take over both our realm and earth. She's limited in her ability to grow her power because she has access to so few magical beings."

  "You were protecting both realms?" Mercy asked.

  Brenon nodded. "It was too much of a risk."

  "That's why we need to work together to eliminate Terra before she can figure out a way to open the gates," I said.

  "Seems to me like if we were to eliminate you, the risk would be gone," one of the male elders said.

  "You think she won't eventually figure out another way?" Aunt Kay said. "If what Brenon has told us is true, Terra has been building up her power over the centuries by stealing magic little by little. What's to say she can't eventually open it herself? Sure, it might be after we're all dead, but do you want that on your conscience? Our sacred duty is to protect the earth. Letting Terra continue to threaten our home is irresponsible of us."

  "Look, I don't care how much you hate the Fae
. They don't deserve the kind of terror that Terra is bringing to them. She's hunting them down. Have you ever even met a Fae before? Just like humans, there are some bad apples, but they're mostly good, and they deserve to live and be happy, just like we do." I took a deep breath and set my hand on Brenon's arm.

  "Joe's right, Brenon has saved me more than once. And he has people watching over my brother to keep him safe. He didn't ask for my help in return. I offered it because that's what you do for a friend." I could feel my cheeks redden, and dropped my hand.

  "So your proposal?" Mercy asked.

  "I say we combine forces. Sayge and the Fae Circus. We take down Terra once and for all." I maintained eye contact with Mercy as I watched her fidget in her seat. She seemed to be struggling with the idea of helping the Fae.

  "This is going to be a hard sell," the other woman said. "We have generations of hatred for the Fae."

  "We have something in mind that may make it easier," Aunt Kay said.

  Mercy and the other elders turned to Kay.

  "After Terra is gone, Ara can open the gate back to Faerie. Once they have returned, they'll close them again to keep all the magical creatures in. Earth will be purged of magic that isn't Sayge. Balance will be restored."

  "How do we know they'll keep the gates closed?" Mercy said. "What will stop them from letting things out?"

  "You have my word," Brenon said. "I will personally ensure that the gate is guarded and well protected from any intruders - from either side."

  "What good is the word of a Fae?" the male elder asked.

  "Ask Ara. I've kept every promise I've made." Brenon set his hand on top of mine, sending a tingle up my arm.

  The elders tried to cover their distaste at the closeness between the two of us, but I could read it on their faces. They didn't approve of Brenon even being in the same room as us, let alone touching me. What must be running through their heads right now? For a moment, I considered pushing his hand away, then I thought about his statement. He was right. He'd never broken a promise to me. Tricked me into joining the Circus? Yes, that he'd done, but never failed to do what he said he'd do.