Relentless (7 page)

“Great.” Leesa was about to hop up into Rave’s arms when she stopped herself. “Oh, one more thing before we go.” She stared at one of the pink sections of Cali’s umbrella for a few seconds. When she was ready, she lifted her head toward the invisible shield above her. A moment later, the barrier glowed pink.

“How’s that?” she asked Cali.

“Totally awesome,” Cali replied, smiling. “Totally freaking awesome.”

13. A SECRET REVEALED

IN WHAT HAD BECOME
a weekly ritual that Leesa loved, she and Rave were visiting her mom and Bradley for Sunday brunch. Every week, Leesa asked if she could help in the kitchen, and every week her mom refused. Judy enjoyed cooking for her “kids,” a position Rave had now earned by marrying Leesa. Leesa never pushed it—she knew her mom was making up for all the lost years of their childhood. Bradley and Leesa didn’t mind the making up in the least.

This morning, Judy had fixed French toast. The first time she had attempted the dish several months before it had come out bland and dry. Today, though, Leesa thought it was delicious. Judy had used cinnamon-raisin bread, and Leesa had topped it with maple syrup and powdered sugar. The combination of flavors was nearly as tasty as most desserts.

“This is really good,” she said to her mom after swallowing a few bites. “Really, really good.”

Judy beamed. “I’m so glad you like it, dear.” Her eyes narrowed slightly. “Are you telling me the truth? I remember you saying you liked it the first time I made it, and even I knew how bad that batch was. You’re not just being polite now, are you?”

Leesa shook her head. “No way. This tastes great.” She popped another big bite into her mouth.

“It does, Mom,” Bradley agreed. “It’s delicious.”

“I’m so glad,” Judy said, smiling again. “I love cooking for all of you.”

Everyone returned their attention to the meal. Leesa’s bottom piece of toast was beginning to dry out, so she reached across the table for the small crystal pitcher of syrup. Just before she could wrap her fingers around the handle, the pitcher suddenly slid a few inches across the tablecloth, heading for Bradley’s lap.

Rave was on his feet in a flash, snaking his arm above the table with such quickness that Leesa could hardly see it. He snatched the pitcher just as it was about to tumble over the edge.

Bradley looked at the pitcher in Rave’s hand in wonder. He had seen very little of Rave’s supernatural abilities.

“Nice catch, Rave,” he said, trying not to sound overly amazed.

“I’m so sorry,” Leesa said, hoping Rave’s supernaturally quick reflexes would distract Bradley from realizing what had actually just occurred. “That was awfully clumsy of me.”

Bradley stared at his sister for a few seconds, a quizzical look on his face. Leesa wondered if he had noticed exactly what had happened. More importantly, why had that damn pitcher moved at all? She hadn’t meant to use telekinesis, and it had been nearly a year since she had caused anything to move without meaning to. She hoped she wasn’t beginning to lose control over some of her powers again. She wondered if pregnancy could do that to her.

“Hey, don’t worry, Sis,” Bradley said finally. Accidents happen.”

Accidents do happen
, Leesa thought—but not accidents like this one. Trying to appear unconcerned, she picked up the pitcher, poured a generous amount of syrup onto her toast, and resumed eating. The French toast really was delicious, and she soon forgot about the moving pitcher, for the moment, at least.

When they had all finished eating, Judy grabbed Bradley’s dishes and her own and headed for the kitchen. Leesa quickly scooped up hers and Rave’s and followed her mother.

“Thank you, honey,” Judy said as she pulled on a pair of blue rubber gloves. “Just put them in the sink and get back out there with your brother and Rave.”

“Yes, Mom,” Leesa replied. She knew better than to try to help her mom. She carefully placed the plates and bowls in the sink and then gave her mom a kiss on the cheek. “The French toast really was delicious.”

“I’m glad you liked it, dear.” Judy flicked the back of one of her gloved hands toward the kitchen doorway. “Now scoot, you.”

Leesa laughed and turned back toward dining table. When she sat down, Bradley was staring at her.

“What?” she asked. “Do I have powdered sugar on my nose or something?” She rubbed her nose, but her fingers came away clean.

“Is there something you want to tell me?” Bradley asked.

Leesa drummed the fingers of her right hand slowly atop the table, wondering what her brother meant. Of course there were things she hadn’t told him yet, but she didn’t know which he might be talking about. Had he somehow sensed she was pregnant? Or had he realized she had never touched the syrup before it fell. She decided to play dumb, for the moment at least.

“What do you mean?” she asked, trying to look and sound as innocent as she could.

Brother and sister stared at each other for several moments before Bradley broke the silence.

“Okay, I’ll go first. Would you care to explain how that maple syrup almost ended up in my lap? You never touched the pitcher, so what made it fall?”

Leesa widened her eyes, still playing dumb. “Are you sure? Syrup can’t move all on its own.”

Bradley shook his head slowly and smiled. “I know. That’s why I’m asking what happened. I didn’t know we kept secrets from each other, Pumpkin.”

Now Leesa felt guilty. She didn’t like keeping things from her big brother, but had been doing so for his own good. Bradley seemed fully recovered now from his horrible ordeal of being kept as a feeder—a kind of human blood-bank—by the vampire Edwina, so Leesa decided it was time to tell him about her magic. He certainly was used to the idea that there were supernatural things in the world; her wizard powers should not be too much of a stretch for him to accept. The pregnancy thing could still wait, however, until she and Rave were more certain how it would turn out.

“There is something,” she said softly, “but you have to promise not to tell Mom. I don’t want to worry her any more than necessary. Promise me.”

Bradley nodded. “I promise.”

Leesa glanced into the kitchen. Her mom was still busy with the dishes, humming softly to herself as she washed them. Leesa couldn’t think of any way to ease into the topic of her wizard nature, so she decided just to come directly out with it.

“You were right about the syrup,” she began. “It didn’t move on its own. I moved it. I’m a wizard. Telekinesis is one of my powers.” She left out that she hadn’t intended to move the pitcher. Since she herself had no idea what had caused it, she wasn’t going to saddle Bradley with the problem.

Bradley’s eyebrows climbed up his forehead. Whatever he had been expecting to hear, it certainly hadn’t been that. He recovered from his surprise quickly and turned his head toward the kitchen.

“Mom, we’re all going to go out for a little walk. You don’t mind if we leave you for just a bit, do you?”

Judy twisted her neck around. “Of course not. It’s a beautiful morning. Go out and get some fresh air.”

Leesa, Rave and Bradley pushed themselves away from the table and headed for the door. Bradley grabbed a lightweight black sweatshirt from the clothes pole beside the door. Leesa took hers—a light blue zippered hoodie—as well, for appearances sake. Wearing nothing but a short-sleeved shirt on a cool day like this could attract attention.

They stepped outside, and Bradley pulled the door closed behind them.

Their mom was right; it was definitely a beautiful morning. The air was cool and crisp, with just a hint of a breeze out of the north, and the sun shone brightly in a blue sky dotted with puffy white clouds. The autumn foliage had not quite reached its peak yet, but there were plenty of bright colors adorning the neighborhood’s trees.

Bradley got directly to the matter at hand.

“Tell me, Sis,” he said as they headed down the walk with Leesa in the middle of her two favorite guys, “you didn’t know any of this before I went away, did you?”

Leesa shook her head. “Of course not. None of it started until after I got to Weston—not that the college has anything to do with it.”

Bradley seemed to take that in for a moment. “Okay, then. Out with it. Tell me everything.”

“It’s a long story.”

Bradley draped his arm around Leesa’s shoulders. “It’s Sunday, Pumpkin. I’ve got all day.”

They left the apartment complex grounds and turned west along Washington Street. Leesa took a moment to gather her thoughts, then started at the beginning, when she had moved a can of Red Bull and then a wastebasket without knowing how or why. Back then, she needed strong emotions to unleash her hidden powers. She told him how Dominic had finally found her after years of searching and how he had imparted his magic to her while she was still in their mom’s womb. She explained about the treachery of the black waziri, and why Dominic had chosen a female to become his protégé and secret ally.

“Are you following this all so far?” she asked, pausing to let it all sink in.

Bradley nodded. “I think so. Where’s this Dominic guy now? Surely you can’t be done with your training?”

“I’m not. Not even close. But you need to hear about our battle with the Necromancer and his minions before you can understand what happened to Dominic.”

Leesa continued with her story, telling her about the struggles with the remaining black waziri, the zombies and the Necromancer. She described the final battle and how the Necromancer fled into his magic table.

“Dominic followed him,” she concluded. “What happened to them inside the table, I have no way of knowing.” She pulled her invisible ring off her finger. Bradley’s eyes grew wide with surprise when the jeweled ring suddenly appeared in her hand.

“Dominic gave me this,” Leesa explained. “When I wear it, it’s invisible to everyone, even Dominic. He told me that if he ever died, I would know it through the ring. I haven’t felt any change in it, so I have to believe he’s still alive, trapped somewhere in the depths of that horrible table.”

They walked in silence for awhile, as Bradley took in everything Leesa had told him so far. Fortunately, Bradley had read enough magic and fantasy books that many of the ideas were not completely unfamiliar to him. He had just never dreamed that such things actually existed, or that his baby sister would be a part of it all.

“So, what other kinds of powers do you have?” he asked finally. “Besides nearly spilling syrup, I mean.”

Leesa chuckled at her big brother’s joke. “It will be easier if I show you rather than trying to explain them all. Let’s go find some place private. Rave will be able to make sure we’re alone and will know if anyone is coming near.”

Leesa’s long story had taken them nearly a mile from the apartment complex. They walked a few more minutes to where a stand of woods bordered the roadway. Leesa turned and led them a short distance into the trees.

“Are we completely alone here, Rave?” she asked when she drew to a halt.

Rave pivoted slowly, scanning the woods with his volkaane vision. At the same time, he listened intently with his keen hearing.

“We are,” he said after a few moments. “There’s no one anywhere nearby.”

“Okay. You’ve seen all this stuff before, so please keep an eye and ear out for anyone coming while I show my big bro a few tricks.”

Rave nodded. “Go for it.”

Leesa knew exactly how she wanted to start. She looked around the forest floor until she spotted a grapefruit-sized stone six or seven feet away. Using her telekinesis, she lifted the stone from the ground and floated it into her hand. Bradley watched in amazement.

“That’s my telekinesis,” Leesa explained. “I can also levitate myself. It looks the same, but it’s a spell, not a power.” She levitated herself two feet into the air and stayed there for ten or fifteen seconds. “Levitation is only vertical, unless something moves me.” She dropped the rock and held her hand out to Bradley. “Pull me.”

Bradley took her hand and gently pulled her toward him. “Wow! You feel like you weigh almost nothing. It’s almost like pulling a balloon on a string.”

Leesa smiled. “A balloon’s a pretty good analogy. If I’m not careful, a strong breeze can carry me away, just like a balloon.”

Leesa floated down to the ground and ended the spell. In quick succession, she demonstrated her different color illumination spells, the plant growth spell, and her air shield, which she had Bradley test by throwing the rock at her. His first toss was tentative and soft. Leesa laughed

“Rave does the same thing when we start. Try again, and throw it hard this time. Show me that fastball you used strike them out with in high school.”

Bradley picked up the stone. “Ready?”

“Just a second. I’ll make it easier for you.” Leesa added a faint blue glow to her shield. “Now you can see my shield.”

Bradley backed up a few steps and then went into a full windup. He hurled the rock at Leesa as hard as he could. It bounced harmlessly off the blue barrier. He grinned.

“I’m glad to see you have a way to protect yourself.”

“Oh, I have more than one way, believe me, big brother.” Leesa fired off four short yellow energy blasts at a fallen tree trunk nearby. Each struck with an audible hiss and bored several inches into the wood.

“Wow, that’s just like Star Wars,” Bradley said as he walked over to the tree to inspect the holes. “Only much cooler.” He crossed back to Leesa. “Did that Dominic guy teach you how to do all this?”

Leesa nodded. “He did. And a couple more things besides.”

“It’s too bad that he’s gone, then. I bet there were a lot more tricks he could have taught you.”