Enflame (Book 6) ((Insight) Web of Hearts and Souls) (16 page)

The Realm vibrated violently, knocking me to the ground
, but when I fell, I didn’t see her above me, or The Realm for that matter. I felt the heat of the blazing pentagram.

The ghosts around us were rumbling in dismay as they watched Skylynn stomp out the fire of the pe
ntagram with nothing more than the fury that was clearly seething from her.

Instantly, Landen and Phoenix were focused again. Skylynn charged toward Landen, throwing her fist at his chest over and over again. I jumped up to stop her, but he’d effortlessly gripped her wrist and was glaring down at her.

“You bastard!” she screamed. “You knew where he was! You knew he was marked for death! What did you do! Nothing! I will destroy you! Call every enemy and tell him where you are! I will take your little key you call a soul mate and feed her to the hounds!!”

The sensation of blood moved through my mouth, but one glance from Landen sent his essence into my core once more, bringing my control back. He let go of Skylynn’s wrist. I don’t know if it was him or Phoenix that was holding her in place, but she struggled against the nothing that was pinning her. Landen and Phoenix then began to circle her like she was prey.

“Do you want to rethink that threat?” Landen said against her neck as he circled behind her. His tone was cool, controlled. It was enticing to me, but I had no doubt it caused the tremble of fear I saw wave through her body.

“You betrayed me,” she answered as one tear came to the corner of her eye.

“I. Betrayed you,” Landen repeated.

“Guardian,” she pleaded as the hold on her became tighter.

“Do not ‘Guardian’ me,” Landen replied. “You knew.”

She looked away from him.

“Tell me you knew,” Landen demanded.

“Answer him!” Phoenix bellowed.

“Fine. I did. You should have, too.”

My eyes rushed across the three of them, not really sure whose side to take on this. I’d never seen Landen so cold, and it was like Phoenix was his guard dog, ready to attack.

“I was drunk on her essence. You had control. You knew, and you let us go through with it. You let her die in his arms, feet from me.”

“You did!” she screamed. “
It was the fate you love so much Guardian. You were drunk on her and using who ever you could to satisfy that addiction.”

“I never used you!” Landen bellowed, causing her to tremble.

“That was not fate,” Phoenix added. “You didn’t want your little crush to leave you, and you had no hold on anyone else. You needed time to trap me.”

“He was not a crush!” she screamed through gritted teeth. “You would have left me,” she said to Landen. “I wasn’t even close to finding him, and you know that. We were not ready.”

“I was ready. You were not,” Landen said as his eyes raked over her in disgust.

“You were not ready then. You would have altered your course to fight Xavier. You made me promise to never let you forget who you wanted to destroy.”

“You caused this to fail,” Landen seethed. “A chain reaction that I have to undo now. If I lose my sister because of this that karma will follow you forever more.”

“It has already
followed me. I have regretted this night a thousand times over. You know that.”

Landen stopped his slow pace around her and peered down into her blue eyes, which were glassed over with tears. “Are you holding it back now?”

“No...my lover is.”

“How?” Landen asked flatly.

“You know how. That is your Karma. You did nothing to stop it.”

Landen glanced at me, then all around him. “He’s alive. The dead would have said otherwise.”

“A mirrored soul opened his mind. They are showing him life on this side but not the other. They are pivoting against his brother. If they bring him down, this web of yours will be destroyed. You want have my energy for the spells.” She glanced at Phoenix. “And if he has his way you wont have his much longer.”

“Phoenix’s fate will lead him where he needs to be and when.”

“Both of you are too stubborn for your own good.” She said with a glare.

“Did Si
las strike him?” Landen asked.

They must be taking about Draven. I was so confused.

“Not yet,” she said, breathing out as if the hold on her had loosened.

“Even if he could see me, I can’t go to him. He’s in the heavens
, getting his head together, apparently.”

Landen’s gaze
met Phoenix’s. “I don’t know, mate. We could waste a lot of time leading that bloke to the water, but no one can make him drink. Maybe destruction is best.” His stare met Skylynn’s. “We brought Guardian back to flesh. We could find a way to get you there.”

“No,” Skylynn coldly stated. “I’m not dying. Obviously, you are too self-centered to help anyone unless it benefits you, so let me be clear: if he dies, half of the web of spells cr
umbles, and no matter what magic you use it will be over in the worst way possible. You can’t fight his battle, but you can’t allow him to throw his fate away.”

Phoenix sauntered closer to her, peering down. “I am not self-centered. And I would have helped
you before, but you didn’t ask. You stole my ashes, and clearly you have punished me in the worst way possible.”

Skylynn looked down as grief consumed her
image. It wasn’t for her lover. It was for someone else...scarf girl, I’m sure. There was a story there. One I would unravel if I was not lost in my own.

“Guardian would have helped you, but you stole his. You played him at his weakest point. Learn to ask for help, and you will gain friends
—not enemies.”

She let her head fall. “Help me. Go there. I’m not asking you to tell him anything. Get him out of there so I can guide him.”

“He can’t see you. You know that,” Landen offered in a more approachable tone.

“No, but others will be able to. The Escorts have divided them on purpose. Out of sight, out of mind.”

Landen walked away from her and to my side.

“Guardian!” Phoenix shouted in protest.

“It’s not working tonight. Paths are crossing,” Landen returned.

“Don’t lay it out for him,” Phoenix stated his one condition for allowing Landen to do this.

“I’m not. I’m going to be Landen. Someone he knows and respects.”

Phoenix glanced at Skylynn. “Bloody Hell,” he said, then followed
Landen and me.

“Where are we going?” I asked as we reached the passageway out of the veil.

Landen sat down right there in the grass and pulled me to him. “Pelhan’s, through meditation.”

I glanced up at Phoenix, who was standing above us.

“Oh, don’t look at me like that, Sunshine. I know you’re attached to me and all, but I’m not going there. I’ll watch your bodies and make sure no one gets any ideas.”

Landen’s humming hand ran across my arms as I felt his energy move through me. I
closed my eyes and focused on Pelhan’s world.

I was so eager to figure out what was going on that it only took me a split second to find myself there.

“
What the hell is going on
?” I thought.

“
Apparently, Aden is here
.”

“
Our Aden
?
Like Draven and Aden
?
She was talking about him
?”

“
Apparently
.”

“
What are you not saying
?”

Landen turned to face me, but his eyes were closed as his head was aimed at the sky. “
Aden’s life is in danger
.”

“
What
?”

“
It has something to do with when Charlie rose into the life of a Witness
.”

“
You knew all along it was them, and you’re just now telling me
?”

“
I didn’t know all along. I wasn’t even entirely sure until just now. Her description of him is beyond similar to the way those twins look, but it could also be others
.
I knew they were safe in Chara, so I didn’t see the threats as I should have.
”

“
Was. Apparently something happened if they brought him here
,” I thought, realizing for the first time that someone from our family had to be here. My insight quickly told me I was wrong, though. I was sure Aden was, but no one from our family.

“
Only he and Skylynn will ever know if they are one. We cannot tell him about her, it will twist further if we do
.”

“
Stop with the twisting threat. We know two people who are meant to be together. We’re not just going to ignore that. You’re from Chara, remember
?”

“
I do remember. Travelers don’t play matchmaker. We lead. I will lead him out of here, and if Skylynn finds a way to get her message across, so be it
.” He glanced forward, then to me. “
Front door
.”

In
that thought, we were there. Pelhan was standing in our way, and he glanced over to Landen.

“I see the fire has returned.”

Landen nodded to confirm.

“You need
words for him to see you,” Pelhan stated as he reached for our arms.

A surge of energy soared through me, making me feel more whole, like I was in my body.

“How did you do that?” I asked aloud.

“You let me. You could have always been more whole in this form, but you have chosen to stay hidden. Now you have chosen not to.”

Sure. It was that easy, no doubt. Really?

“How bad is it?” Landen asked him before I could argue that he just needed to tell us what we could do. I’m not a huge fan of taking over people’s bodies. Being able to appear in real form was now my new favorite insight.

“Not as bad as it could be. A wall in his mind was knocked down, leading him to his past. He is finding balance with it.”

“Where?” Landen asked.

Pelhan moved to allow us in. In the open room, Aden was seated on one of the pillows, leaning forward and holding his head in his hands. Austin was pacing behind him. When he saw us, hope soared through him.

As if he had no idea what the word ‘caress’ meant, Landen stormed across the room and pulled Aden up, forcing him to look him in the eye.

“Why are you here?” he asked him.

Aden looked all around us, taking in where we had been before this moment, why we cared that he was here. I made no attempt to hide anything from him, hoping he would see Skylynn, that it would help with the open door in his mind, help all of this path crossing business.

“I had a past with Charlie. Draven will kill me when he figures that out,” Aden finally answered.

“You’re insane,” Landen commented dryly, stepping back and giving Aden room.

“I think I am,” Aden replied in an exact tone.

“He will never kill you. You’re his brother,” Landen offered.

“I’m more than that.”

“Maybe, but he is man enough to see that was in the past,”
Landen argued.

“You don’t know Draven.”

Austin’s emotion of despair backed up Aden’s words. I guess Draven was a bit of the jealous type. I agreed with Landen, though. Aden was acting crazy. It would be different if I knew Charlie had any doubt in her soul, but I have never felt that from her. I always envied that about her, too. Not that I have doubt; just that she had no interest in honoring past promises that she could not remember. She went with her heart, her gut, and let the rest fall away from her thoughts. I was planning on taking her lead from this moment on.

Landen glanced at me curiously when he felt that intent, then turned his attention back to Aden.

“No, but I know what it feels like to have your past thrown in your face. Hiding here is not helping anything.”

“I’m not hiding,” Aden all but yelled.

“We’ve got issues,” Austin said as he came to our side. “Aden has been in The Realm just as much as he has meditated on his past. They have Winston, and they have lured Grayson in...Monroe has to be next.”

“Clarissa said the same thing,” I added.

Landen looked down at me, then to Austin. “She should be safe in Chara.”

“I agree,” Austin said, “but those boys are the furthest thing from safe now.”

“They can only help themselves,” Landen said regretfully.

“I’m going to wake them up. I woke you up,
” Aden argued.

“You did wake me up, and I’m in you
r debt. But they are not asleep. They are chasing this. If you chase them, you will be lost, too.”

“I have to try.”

“Fine. Try. Leave this dimension to do it,” Landen ordered.

“Why?” Aden asked, as if that were the most ridiculous idea he’d ever heard.