Reckless Magic (47 page)

I couldn’t help but enjoy the trip
however. Riding a European train was like truly riding in style.
The glory of the Austrian Alps was like nothing I had ever
experienced before; and I would gladly ride a train through them
until I had every mountain memorized.

The game plan was to fly home from
Zurich; who knew how many trains that meant before we were in the
heart of Switzerland. Only Avalon was concerned about our timing
though. I was too swept away with Europe to be in any hurry to
leave.

Avalon’s phone buzzed gently and
suddenly he sat up completely alert. I noticed the tension in his
body and felt his anxiety as he opened the cell phone and answered
quietly.

“
Hello?” he asked quietly,
discretely.

“
Oh, thank God,” I saw his
body visibly relax and felt the apprehension turn to quiet joy. “Is
the package in the mail?” he asked, using code. I couldn’t help but
laugh; he was like the obvious cliché for a 1950’s spy. Next thing
you know, we would be on our way to Russia to stop the
Kremlin.

“
What?” he asked, suddenly
exasperated. “You can’t be serious! I’m not doing that. No way. I
might as well send her to the London palace with instructions on
how to find the rest of us. No way….” whatever he was so upset
about, he had dropped all pretense of code. “No way….” he repeated
over and over to whatever the other line was saying.

“
Where?” he asked
eventually, with a softer but more frustrated tone. The hostility
in his voice was unmistakable. “How do we know it’s not a trap?” he
listened a little longer, his magic growing stronger and stronger
every second. I wouldn’t have been surprised if the humans could
feel it for themselves. “What happens if you’re wrong?” Avalon
listened longer, but did not seem appeased.

“
If I do this, I want some
type of insurance; some type of trade off…. We would have gotten
her out of there even if he didn’t do anything. That doesn’t make
him a hero; it just makes him look like an idiot!” Avalon stopped
talking to get an earful from whoever was on the other line. I
found myself sitting on the edge of my seat, totally engrossed in
Avalon’s side of the conversation.

“
Fine…. I said fine. I guess
we’ll see you in Geneva,” Avalon snapped the phone shut and glared
at me. I was almost too afraid to ask what that had been
about.

“
Geneva?” I asked
tentatively.

“
I guess so,” he
mumbled.

“
Switzerland?” I tried
again.

Avalon nodded
affirmatively.

“
What happened to Zurich?” I
finally asked bravely.

“
We’ve been ordered,” Avalon
paused and cleared his throat irritably, “asked.... if we would
oblige the Crowned Prince by joining him in Geneva,” he couldn’t
even look at me, but turned to glare out the window.

“
It’s not a trap Avalon,” I
said quickly but quietly; my stomach filled with
butterflies.

“
I do not want to talk about
it,” Avalon responded grumpily and I knew better than to push
it.

----

A black sedan pulled up in front of
the train station and Avalon took the initiative to approach. I
followed behind, shouldering my backpack once again. A man exited
the driver’s side to open the back door for us. Avalon stuck his
head menacingly into the back seat before entering the car fully. I
smiled apologetically to the driver and climbed in behind
Avalon.

Avalon sat with arms folded and his
back turned to me. I knew he was mad, but I also didn’t think I
really deserved the silent treatment for the last eight hours. I
elbowed him roughly in the kidneys before the driver had returned
to his seat, but he didn’t respond.

I was irritated with Avalon, but soon
my bad feelings turned to adoration as we drove silently through
Geneva at night. The streets were lit in the soft glow of
streetlamps and from the bright windows of buildings built before
America was even a recognized country.

Our ride took us past Lake Geneva,
glistening in the moonlight. A large fountain sprayed a cascade of
water from the middle of the lake, and the Alps sat as a backdrop
to the perfect postcard picture. The streets were narrow, with
historical buildings rising to either side. I marveled at their
intricate architecture, and embellished building fronts.

When the car finally came to a stop in
front of a charming palace, I was somehow not surprised. After
witnessing the grand architecture and style of the Citadel, I was
finally able to wrap my head around the words monarchy and crowned
prince. I hadn’t really been expecting quite this grandeur
however.

“
Is this one of their
palaces?” I whispered, hoping Avalon would answer.

“
This is a hotel,” Avalon
responded irritably. I blushed, feeling very ignorant. “Ok, it used
to be one of their palaces; now it’s just a hotel,” After feeling
my embarrassment, Avalon conceded the truth.

The palace turned hotel was exquisite.
I was dumbstruck by the beauty and elegance of what was formerly
Kiran’s families’ home. I followed Avalon out of the car and stayed
timidly behind him. I glanced down at my ill-fitting, makeshift
outfit and felt embarrassingly under-dressed.

As we entered the foyer of the grand
hotel my mouth dropped open in awe. We were surrounded by marble
pillars that reached from expansive marbled floor to vaulted marble
ceiling. Intricately, upholstered furniture with golden thread
filled the entrance hall. The only evidence that this was not a
palace but indeed a hotel was the circulation desk with uniformed
employees standing behind it.

My nerves were on edge thanks to
Avalon; although he appeared relaxed and calm, his magic was
surging at high alert. Because of our connection my senses were
heightened with his and our magic circulated in unison. He bypassed
the hotel clerks and headed straight up a wide, winding, ivory
staircase.

After walking up several flights of
stairs, Avalon led me into a long hallway. The hairs on the back of
my neck rose suddenly when I felt the strong presence of other
Immortals. Avalon slowed his pace and I noticed him clench and
unclench his fists regularly.

We walked the hallway slowly and I
didn’t complain. I was not sure what to expect but Avalon was so
uncomfortable and tense that I regretted him coming. I felt like it
was my fault and therefore also felt guilty and blameworthy; but
then remembered we were ordered to come here and I was even ordered
specifically not to make any more decisions. I sent this thought
poignantly to Avalon; he returned it with a dirty look.

At the end of the hallway Avalon
paused and took a big breath. He raised his fist to knock on the
cream colored door but paused again as if he couldn’t make himself
do it.

“
I don’t know what’s behind
this door Eden,” Avalon whispered fiercely to me and I was
surprised by the apprehension in his voice. “We could be walking
into a trap…. Eden,” He paused again and I waited nervously,
expecting some type of brotherly declaration, instead Avalon
continued, “Eden, let me have Kiran; I’ll enjoy killing him much
more than you will.”

Before I could think of any response
Avalon knocked forcefully on the door. He gave me another nervous
sideways glance and shoved his hands deep into his pockets to
appear casual. I wished he felt as calm as he was working so hard
to look; his nervous energy was making me edgy.

Talbott opened the door and for some
reason that surprised me. He was dressed casually and his hair was
a little messier than at school. When he opened the door he was
laughing and involved in a conversation. Avalon stared at him
suspiciously, until he gestured with his hand for us to
enter.

I was more than a little surprised to
find Amory in the extravagant room. He was sitting on a plush,
periwinkle sofa, holding a snifter full of a golden brown liquid.
He was the one involved in conversation with Talbott, and it
appeared they were having a very animated but pleasant
conversation.

Avalon grunted grumpily before taking
a seat close to Amory. Although he relaxed his magic a little, he
was still in a sour mood. Avalon reclined in his seat and slammed
his feet cross-legged onto the gold, inlaid, glass coffee table.
His movement made a terrible crashing sound although he managed not
to shatter the fragile antique.

The attention of everyone in the room
was now on Avalon who smiled smugly in reply. Amory relaxed on the
sofa and put an arm around Avalon in a very paternal way. I stood
in the middle of the room not entirely sure what to do.

“
I’m glad you’re safe,
Eden,” Talbott said out of the blue. I was not the only one
surprised by his statement.

“
Thank you,” I replied
humbly.

“
Eden?” Kiran appeared out
of the bedroom and said my name almost reverently.

I turned to face him and was struck
ferociously with emotion. He stood in the doorway, hair tussled and
eyes piercing. His hands fidgeted nervously, but his gaze never
left mine and never softened in intensity.

Moments ago I hadn’t known whether to
sit or stand, but once I saw the look of pure desire cross Kiran’s
face I knew there was only one place I wanted to be. I closed the
distance between us in seconds, sprinting across the expansive
suite and leaping into his arms.

He caught me instinctively and found
my mouth immediately. My legs wrapped around his waist and my hands
held his face firmly to mine; our magic mingled together in a
perfect symphony of all consuming power.

At this most passionate moment there
was no one else besides Kiran and nothing else existed besides our
love. I was thrilled to find his feelings as intense as mine. My
thoughts, my consciousness, my very blood filled with a desire
bigger than me, bigger than I could even hope to
understand.

I could have lived in that moment
forever, but like all good things it had to come to an end. After
several throat clears from our audience and then a pillow to the
back of my head thanks to Avalon, I relinquished my hold on Kiran.
He set me down gently and then kissed me one more time sweetly on
the lips.

“
Ok, that’s enough….
seriously,” Avalon interrupted in an irritated voice. “The rest of
us are trying to exist here; we don’t need your crazy magic
suffocating us.”

I turned around embarrassed, heat
flooded my cheeks. Avalon could not look more disgusted and Amory
and Talbott couldn’t even look in our general direction. Kiran
intertwined his fingers through mine and pulled me closer to him
protectively.

“
Excuse us, gentlemen,”
Kiran addressed the room politely; his crisp, English accent
perfectly enunciating every consonant.

46.

“
Excuse us gentlemen,” Kiran
addressed the room politely; his crisp, English accent perfectly
annunciating every consonant.

Kiran walked backwards into one of the
bedrooms of the massive suite, pulling me with him. If I thought I
felt humiliation before, that was nothing compared to the sweeping
embarrassment of being taken into Kiran’s bedroom with three sets
of suspicious eyes following my every step. Luckily, Kiran closed
the door quickly behind us.

The bedroom looked like some place a
prince would stay. A huge four poster bed with royal blue and gold
striped silk comforter sat in the middle of the room facing an
enormous flat screened TV. Kiran’s suitcase and clothes were laid
haphazardly on a royal blue divan. I noticed a golden crown half
buried underneath a pair of designer jeans.

Kiran walked across the room, pulling
me behind him, and out onto a balcony overlooking Lake Geneva. The
moonlight glistened off of the black water and I saw the outline of
the Swiss Alps in the distance; their tall peaks turning white at
the top, billowy clouds resting on them, melting into mere
extensions of a vast midnight sky.

The mid-autumn night air was frigid
and I sent a burst of magic through my blood to warm up.

“
Did you know, that you can
use your magic for more than an occasional space heater?” Kiran
asked softly but sarcastically, while leaning back against the
outer wall of the hotel.

“
I’m cold,” I responded, a
little defensively.

“
Here….” he replied, pulling
me against his body. I laid my head against his chest and listened
to the soft beating of this heart.

“
Thank you for saving
Lilly,” I mumbled into his warm embrace.

“
My pleasure,” he replied,
amused. “And thank you for nearly getting yourself killed. Thank
goodness your grandfather was there to help you escape. I don’t
know how I would have survived losing you,” he held me tighter,
kissing the top of my head.

“
I’m sorry, did you say
grandfather?” I asked, wishing I could just dwell on Kiran's sweet
sentiments, but instead I found myself unable to move past the next
big mystery of my life revealed. Would it never end?

“
Yes, you’re grandfather….
Amory.” Kiran paused to look me in the eyes. “Are you telling me
you didn’t know that he is your grandfather?” he asked
incredulously.