Rising Covenant (Living Covenant Trilogy Book 1) (14 page)

T
he small tree
next to me burst into flames.

Aric moved quickly and jerked me away, pushing me closer to the river, and then strode to his pack so he could rummage inside. He withdrew a small fire extinguisher and doused the flames.

“I came prepared,” he said, tossing the extinguisher back on his pack. “Are you going to do that again?”

I shook my head, ashamed my anger got the better of me.

“It was a small fire, Zoe,” Aric said. “At least it wasn’t Paris.”

I didn’t tell him it was almost her and that I changed my trajectory at the last second. “I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have anything to be sorry about, Zoe,” Aric said. “I’m angry, too. If I could start fires with my mind we’d be in a world of hurt right now.”

Paris stood a few feet away, her hand over her mouth, her eyes glued to the singed tree.

“You should go,” I said, forcing my voice to remain even. “That will be you next time.”

“I can’t go, Zoe,” Paris said, regaining a modicum of composure. “You know as well as I do that I can’t walk away in the middle of the woods.”

“She’s right,” Aric said.

My mouth dropped open as stunned disbelief washed over me. “What?”

“Loath as I am to admit it, we need her,” Aric said. “We can use her as a bargaining chip with Quinn if it comes down to it.”

“He’s already proved that he’ll kill her to get his hands on the book,” I pointed out. “He’s not going to trade my parents for her.”

“He won’t, ” Aric agreed. “If we convince him that she’s working with us, though, she’s another target.”

“I don’t trust her.”

“I don’t trust her either,” Aric said, rolling his eyes as Paris whimpered. “You and I will have our hands full with ten wolves and possibly twenty witches. Even if you start the whole compound on fire, we may need help getting your parents out of there. You know that as well as I do.”

Well, if he wanted to be rational … .

“If we cut her loose now, Quinn’s trackers will scoop her up and she’ll be another weapon for him to use against us,” Aric added.

“How will he use her against us?” I challenged. “I’m not going out of my way to save her. She’s on her own.”

“Zoe, please don’t say that,” Paris said, her voice cracking.

“They might not take her to Quinn at all,” Aric said. “They might kill her and leave her body here to rot. Can you live with that?”

“Yes.”

“Really?” Aric pressed.

Could I? “She betrayed us,” I said. “I think I knew. I think I knew you were right in the beginning. I didn’t want to believe you because that meant I wasn’t worth any loyalty. That was me betraying you.”

“Don’t get melodramatic,” Aric said. “I know part of you at least … suspected … she wasn’t telling the whole truth. I saw it on your face a few times. You pushed it out of your head because you didn’t want to believe it. That’s normal. You didn’t betray me.”

“I feel like an idiot.”

“You are the most loyal person I know, so when someone works against you in the manner Paris has it baffles you,” Aric said. “That doesn’t mean you’re an idiot. It means you’re human.”

“Zoe, I swear I would never have let Quinn hurt you,” Paris cried. “That was never part of the plan. You have to know I would never do that.”

“You need to stop talking now,” Aric snapped, pointing at Paris. “You’ve done quite enough. If you don’t stop, she’ll fry you right here, and you won’t have to worry about what Quinn is going to do to you.”

“I want to help you,” Paris said. “Why do you think I’m here?”

“I think you want the book,” Aric replied, not missing a beat. “I think you’ve been trying to figure out a way to grab it for days. You couldn’t right away because I locked it up. You thought you would have a chance before my father showed up, but he was so enamored with it he never let it out of his sight. Don’t play coy with me. I know what you were planning.”

“I was never going to take the book and give it to Quinn,” Paris argued. “I wanted it destroyed. After Quinn sent the wolves, I realized what he was. I realized he was … Mark … all over again.”

“You do have bleeding tragic taste in men,” I seethed.

“I don’t care what your intentions were,” Aric said. “I’m too tired to give it much thought. For now, you’re sticking with us. When this is all over, you can get out of our lives and never look back.”

“But … .”

“That’s the deal,” I said, cutting her off. “Take it or leave it.”

A
FTER
a tense lunch
of fish and potato chips – which tasted nothing like beer-battered cod and French fries, no matter how Aric tried to spin it – we picked up our hike again.

If Paris was right, we could reach the compound by dark. Aric kept pace with me, staying close enough that I could feel his presence but giving me the emotional space I needed to think. It was sweet and grating at the same time.

“You don’t need to hover,” I said. “I’m not going to set anything on fire. I’m saving all of that for Quinn when I see him.”

“Well, that will be fun,” Aric said. “We’ll get to enjoy the fireworks of the Fourth of July a whole month early.”

“When were you going to tell me?”

“I’m not sure,” Aric replied, opting for honesty. “I knew I was getting angrier with each step, and I was taking it out on you. That wasn’t fair. I didn’t think things would blow up the way they did, but I can’t say I’m upset that you know. I am sorry for you, though.”

“I thought she was my friend.”

“Zoe, if it’s any consolation, I think she is your friend,” Aric said. “I’m not making excuses for what she did. Loneliness can paralyze people, though. Paris has always been looking for someone to love her. That’s how a guy like Quinn could move in and take advantage of her.”

“She let him take advantage of her.”

“Not everyone is as strong as you are,” Aric said. “I know you love me, but I don’t live under any illusions that you couldn’t live your life without me. I don’t think Paris is like that, though.”

“You’re wrong.”

“Paris is searching for something, and we can’t give her what she needs,” Aric said.

“Not about Paris,” I said. “You’re wrong about you and me. I knew a long time ago that you became necessary in my life. I’m still not sure how it happened, but it’s true. I don’t want to live my life without you. I … can’t.

“That’s why when I thought you were going to marry some other wolf and run off with her I thought my heart was going to explode,” I said. “It hurt. I couldn’t breathe.”

“Well, that’s one of the dumber things you’ve ever thought,” Aric said. “I guess we’re going to have to face the truth and admit we’re hopelessly co-dependent and addicted to one another.”

I didn’t want to smile, but I couldn’t help myself. “That was very romantic.”

“Thank you.”

“I’m still not calling you ‘my lord’ when we get married,” I said.

“I don’t expect you to,” Aric said, affectionately patting my rear end. “If you work it into your vows, though, that will be more than enough.”

“You’re dreaming if … .” I tilted my head, swiveling quickly when I realized Paris had stopped moving forward. Instead of an invisible threat moving in on her – or her moving against us – she stared at an open field about twenty feet away. “What are you looking at?”

Paris snapped her head in my direction, surprised I was addressing her after hours of silence. “I … do you know what that is?”

I glanced back at the field. “They look like white flowers. Do you want to pick them? Isn’t white the color for peace? You can offer them to Quinn when we get there and hope they’re enough to keep him from killing you.”

Paris swallowed hard, obviously terrified by my anger, but held her ground. “They’re not flowers. They’re mushrooms.”

“Do you want to make a pizza?”

“No,” Paris said, making a face. “Don’t you understand what that is?”

“It’s a field with mushrooms,” I said, stalking after Paris as she moved in the direction of the field. “Don’t go thinking that mushrooms are going to somehow make this better. I’m mad at you.”

“You have every right to be,” Paris said. “I’m an awful person and friend.”

“Feeling sorry for yourself isn’t going to work on me,” I said. “I don’t feel sorry for you. You’re a bad person, and you date horrible men.”

“I’m not arguing either of those points,” Paris said. She moved to the center of the field, kneeling next to a half-dead tree. “Don’t you see this?”

“Tell me what we’re looking at,” Aric prompted. “I must be missing it, too.”

“It’s a fairy ring,” Paris explained. “The tree even has a face.”

I glanced around the clearing. It looked like a dead tree that may or may not have a face in the middle of a circle of toadstools. “What the heck is a fairy ring?”

“Throughout history many people have considered it magical,” Paris answered. “In medieval times, people were convinced the mushrooms were formed by dragon fire rings.”

“Oh, well, great,” I said. “I think Smaug might come in handy. Where do you think we can find him?”

Aric poked me in the side and shook his head before turning back to Paris. “Why is this important?”

“They’re supposed to be a source of magic for good practitioners,” Paris replied. “They’re rare.”

“Can these mushrooms boost my power so I can fight off twenty people without getting my parents and Aric killed?”

“And you,” Aric interjected. “You’re walking out of this with us.”

“That’s a given. I love myself as much as you do.”

“I think it’s weird that a fairy ring just happens to be in the middle of the woods we’re walking through,” Paris said. “It has to be divine intervention.”

“Unless these fairies can make me a pizza with these mushrooms and kill evil wolves and … old guys … I don’t really care,” I said. “Let’s keep moving.”

“Wait a second,” Paris said. “Don’t you want to see if there’s magic here we can tap into?”

“No.”

“Zoe, if anyone can call power from a fairy ring, it has to be you,” Paris challenged. “Think about it. If this place can give you a power boost, don’t you want to at least try?”

“Not really,” I replied, my agitation getting the better of me. “I’m not Mario. There’s no way mushrooms are going to make me grow so I can squash my enemies by jumping on them.”

Aric furrowed his brow. “Mario?”

“The video game, dude. Keep up.”

“Don’t call me that,” Aric warned.

“Zoe, just … see if you can feel something here,” Paris pleaded. “I’ve always believed in the magic of a fairy ring. It can’t hurt to try.”

I glanced at Aric. “What do you think?”

“I think we have five minutes to spare but that’s it,” Aric said. “I’ve never heard of a fairy ring. I don’t see why you can’t try, though.”

I shrugged and moved into the center of the mushrooms, tilting my head as the buzzing caught my attention. “Are there bees here? You know I don’t like bees.”

“I don’t see any bees,” Aric said. “Bees won’t hurt you unless you give them a reason to do it. Don’t be a pain.”

“I still don’t like them,” I said. “I … don’t you hear that?”

“Hear what?” Paris’ face was eager as she leaned forward, keen to hear what I heard.

I dug my finger in my ear and moved it around. “Something is … buzzing. It has to be bees. It … .” I didn’t get a chance to finish my sentence because the small meadow disappeared as the ground opened up and swallowed me whole. “What the … ?”

“Zoe!”

I had no idea what just happened, but Aric’s howling led me to believe it wasn’t good. Oh, the overwhelming darkness I found myself mired in wasn’t a good sign either. Was I underground? How did that happen?

Well … crap!

“
W
ell
, this just bites the big one.”

I extended my hands, hoping to find a landmark to give me a hint as to where I was. I could still hear Aric howling, and even though I knew physically he wasn’t far away, the tinny tone of his voice told me something big was between us.

My hand brushed against something and I yanked it back, sucking in a breath as I realized I had no choice but to try again. If I touched a snake, all bets were off. I would burn the very ground that swallowed me to get out.

I reached out again and let my fingertips rest on the cold earth. I couldn’t see anything, yet I knew I was underground, perhaps in a cave.

“Okay, enough is enough,” I said. “I’m guessing that something tricky is going on because we were in a fairy ring – or a circle of mushrooms by a dead tree, as I like to call it – and because I’m me, that probably means I’m about to see something horrible.”

“You have an interesting way of looking at life.”

I jumped at the voice, hoping that squeaking sound I emitted was in my head. “Oh, well, good. There’s a strange voice in the dark with me. I think I’m in a cave. I might be underground. There’s a good chance I’m buried alive. All of this is better than more hiking, though. So … where am I?”

“Where do you think you are?”

“Hell.”

The low voice chuckled, causing the dark space to fill with mirth. “Not quite, Zoe Lake.”

Oh, good, the strange voice in the dark knew my name. “I seem to be at a disadvantage,” I said. “You know who I am and I can’t even see you.”

“The darkness is in your mind,” the voice replied. “You have the ability to cut through it if you wish.”

“And how do I do that?”

“Use the power bestowed upon you by blood and birthright.”

“I hate voices that think they sound wise even though they have more in common with fortune cookies,” I muttered. Despite my discomfort, I reached out with my mind and pulsed a charge. Part of me hoped I would hit my new friend. Instead, flames jumped to life in the corner. I peered in the direction of the light source and realized I managed to ignite torches. It was a cavern, and while it wasn’t exactly bright, the torchlight was better than darkness.

I moved my eyes to my left and fought the urge to cringe when I saw who had been talking to me. He looked like a man – kind of. He was tall, his chest bare. His blond hair was wild and long, and his beard drifted down to his chest in a mass of waves. I couldn’t be sure, but it looked as though flowers – or weeds – were snarled in there. Thankfully, I didn’t have to see the bottom half – I had a feeling that was filthy, too – because some sort of toga or skirt hung from his hips.

“Who are you?”

“My name is Cernunnos.”

“Yeah, I’m never going to remember that,” I said. “I’m going to call you Bob. What are you doing hiding in a hole in the ground, Bob?”

“Waiting for you.”

Oh, well, good. My day wasn’t weird enough. “You knew I would fall into a hole in the ground?”

“You did not fall, Zoe Lake,” Bob said. “You walked through a door.”

“I didn’t see a door.”

“Perhaps it saw you.”

This was getting me nowhere. “How far away is Aric? You need to get a message to him that I’m okay. He’s going to have a heart attack.”

“The wolf will be fine,” Bob said. “His heart is pure and strong. You live in the center of it. He will fret for a few minutes and then quiet.”

“You’re quite the humanitarian there, Bob,” I said. “I’m glad you’re worried about his emotional well-being.”

“His emotional health revolves around you,” Bob said, scratching his head and making me wonder whether bugs were crawling around in there. “As long as you survive he will thrive.”

“And how long am I going to survive?”

“That is entirely up to you, Zoe Lake.”

“Why do you keep saying my name like that?” I asked, genuinely curious. “It’s two names. Zoe and Lake. Zoe Lake is not one name.”

“The ways of this world when it comes to namings is not for me to judge,” Bob said.

“I’m starting to get bored,” I said. “How about you tell me why you brought me here and then … I don’t know … pop me back out so we can get on our way.”

“Is that what you want? Do you want to go back to your world?”

“I don’t have much of a choice,” I said. “I have parents to save and evil to smite.”

“Your fate does not have to be tied to this world, Zoe Lake,” Bob said. “You can pick any of thousands of worlds and settle in one of them if you wish.”

“I’m good.”

Bob arched an unruly eyebrow. “You’re good?”

“As long as I have my wolf and hot tub, I’m really set,” I said. “If you throw in good takeout, I have absolutely no complaints. Well, if you ask Aric he’ll say I still complain, but sometimes I think he confuses talking for complaining.”

“You don’t even want to ask me about these other worlds?” Bob appeared surprised.

“Not really,” I said. “I’ve never been one of those people driven by curiosity. I’ve never wanted to travel to the moon when I can look at it from my back yard. I’ve never wanted to explore oceans or mountains … .” I glanced around dubiously. “I’ve really never wanted to explore caves. Have you seen the movie
Descent
? Nothing good happens when you go into a cave.”

“You are the offspring of two mages,” Bob said. “You were never supposed to exist, and yet you do. Your power elevates you to a higher form of being. Do you not want to mingle with your own?”

“That sounds like a horrible idea,” I replied. “I hate hanging out with people I don’t know. I have a hard time bonding with others. I think I’ll stick with the people I’m already bonded with and leave the … world jumping … to others.”

“You are the lone member of your species here,” Bob said, his eyes thoughtful as he studied me. “Others like you exist in larger realms. You are not like them, though.”

“I’ve always wanted to be an original.”

“Don’t you want to know what you are?”

I shook my head. “I used to think I did,” I answered. “I used to think the most important thing in the world was learning about mages and finding where I belong. The thing is: I’ve already found where I belong. I belong here.”

“But you can be more than that.”

“Why?”

Bob furrowed his brow, confused. “Why what?”

“Why would I want to be more than I am?” I asked. “If what you’re saying is true, I’m unique here. I already knew that, but thanks for reaffirming it. There’s no one else like me. That doesn’t mean I’m dying to meet others like me. I think the world might implode if that happens.”

“You are a … riddle.”

“I’m not,” I argued. “I’m just a woman. I’m a tired woman, don’t get me wrong, but in the grand scheme of things I don’t want anything other than what I already have. I’m happy.”

“You don’t look happy.”

“Well, it has been a rough week,” I admitted. “First, my best friend showed up out of the blue and got us attacked by wolves. Then I thought my boyfriend didn’t want to marry me, but it turns out he was too afraid to ask.

“Then I thought my parents died in a fire,” I continued. “Someone tipped me off that wasn’t true – although now that I mention it, I have to wonder who sent the note – and then I found out my best friend betrayed me and wanted to use me to gain power.

“This has not been a great month,” I said.

“And yet you want to remain here.”

“There’s no place I would rather be than with Aric,” I said. “I don’t yearn for bigger and better things. I already have the best thing.”

Bob tilted his head to the side and listened as Aric called my name. “If you disappeared here, he would never stop looking for you.”

My heart rolled. Something about Bob’s demeanor bothered me. “I’m not disappearing here,” I warned him, extending my index finger and shaking it in his direction. “Don’t even think about taking me. I have a to-do list, and you’re not on it.”

“I have been watching you for a very long time,” Bob said, his face unreadable. “The power you expelled healing the wolf at your school called me to you. I watched from afar as you burned the evil woman and healed your heart. After that, I decided you could be something great.”

“Awesome.” I knew tossing sarcasm at the weird dude living in a cave beneath a fairy ring probably wasn’t the best course of action. I couldn’t help myself, though.

“Mages were gifts to this world,” Bob said. “They were meant to keep the balance of power from tipping in any one direction. It’s not merely bad when evil gets a foothold. Those who think they’re doing good can destroy a world just as easily as those who know they’re doing evil.”

“Are you a mage?”

“I am … something else,” Bob said. “I was present when mages came into existence, though. I have foreseen I will be there when they wink out of this world and move on to the next.”

“Are you a wizard? You kind of remind me of Dumbledore, although he bathed more frequently.”

“I am not a wizard,” Bob replied, ignoring or not understanding the joke. He didn’t have much of a sense of humor. “Your existence has been cause for … concern … for years. Your parents did an admirable job hiding you.”

“And that’s one of the reasons I have to get out of here,” I said. “They need me to rescue them. Then I’m going to have to find a way to buy them a new house, but that’s a problem for another day. Today I can only worry about one thing at a time.”

“Had we known about your existence when you were a child, we would have intervened,” Bob said. “We would have taken you then. Because you were already an adult – albeit a conflicted one – when we discovered you, we decided to conduct an experiment.”

“How did I do?”

“That is not for me to judge,” Bob replied. “I will say you have shown tenacity in the face of oppression numerous times, and you always emerge the victor. That says something about you.”

“Yeah, I’m a really poor loser.”

“Life is never going to be easy for you, Zoe Lake,” Bob said. “If this is the path you choose, though, I am willing to … help.”

I perked up. “Seriously? What can you do?”

“I can even the odds,” Bob said. “You face an army of wolves and witches when you get to your destination. Do not go there tonight. I know you don’t like people issuing you orders, but it is important that you stay protected in the fairy ring until dawn rises. Do you understand?”

“I’ve got it,” I said, nodding. “What can you tell me about this book? Can Quinn steal my powers with it?”

“Quinn Redford is unique here as well,” Bob replied. “He is not as powerful as you, although he is more focused and his training is far more extensive. He cannot steal your powers because he doesn’t have the strength in his blood to carry them.

“What Quinn doesn’t understand is that you were bred to be great,” he continued. “He is nothing more than a human who wants power. He will not get it from you, although that won’t stop him from trying to drain others to feed his greedy soul. He will kill.”

I rubbed the back of my neck as I considered his words. The idea of bugs falling from the ceiling and landing on me was becoming a concern. I hate bugs. I couldn’t look gift guidance from the weird dirt god in the mouth, though. “Can the book help me?”

“The book was created to destroy your parents and the rest of their ilk,” Bob explained. “It will never do what Quinn wants it to because it cannot harm you. It can, however, fuel you.”

“How?”

“You will have to figure that out on your own,” Bob replied. “I don’t have every answer. I can merely point you in the right direction. Stay here tonight. Move to the compound tomorrow, but wait until you know the time is right to attack.”

“Will Aric survive?” I was afraid to hear the answer yet terrified not to ask the question.

“You and the wolf are bound together,” Bob said. “Perhaps things would have been different had you known what you were from birth. Your parents gave you the greatest gift in the world by letting you be normal. You never dreamed of power because you didn’t know you had it.”

Bob’s roundabout way of talking was starting to grate. “Will Aric survive?”

“The wolf will survive as long as you do,” Bob answered. “He will smother you with his heart and courage, and you will bolster him with yours. It is an interesting … if unexpected … pairing. I expect great things from it.”

What was that supposed to mean? “Go back to the book,” I said. “If Quinn gets his hands on it, will he be able to destroy the world?”

“It’s a powerful book, but it’s still just a book, Zoe Lake,” Bob said. “Quinn will never be able to harness its powers. He will be able to harness the powers of others to try to hurt you, though. That is what you cannot let happen.”

“I don’t understand.”

“You struggle with insecurity,” Bob explained. “That is your greatest weakness. Your insecurity regarding the wolf is waning. Soon it will be gone forever. Your insecurity about the others in your life is another matter.”

“You’re talking about Paris, aren’t you?”

Bob nodded, causing me to scowl.

“I’m not going out of my way to save Paris,” I said. “She betrayed me. She could have gotten Aric killed with her lies. There’s no room left for her in my life.”

“There will always be room for the true of heart in your life,” Bob argued. “Paris Princeton is true of heart, but unsteady of will. She will overcome that. She has been loyal to you since you met. She has erred, but so have you. Quinn will suck her dry and cast her empty husk over his shoulder as he tries to fight you. You cannot let that happen.”

“Why?”

“Paris Princeton has much to do in this world,” Bob replied. “Most of it does not revolve around you, although a great deal of it does. You will need her before it’s all said and done. You will regret it if you sacrifice her.”

“Will she betray me again?”

“The argument regarding Paris Princeton’s betrayal is nothing more than semantics,” Bob explained. “She has always been loyal to you. She will always be loyal to you. She has always faltered when it comes to her own heart. You are the one who must show her the light in that matter.”

“If you’re suggesting some weird threesome, I’m out.”