To Kill a Wizard: Rose's Story (The Protectors of Tarak Book 1) (14 page)

She didn’t glance back at me, and I was glad. I didn’t want her to see the conflicting emotions raging across my face.

Tension sizzled through the room.

“I guess you’ve decided to join our order,” Clarissa prompted, after a little time.

Her words were like the turning of a knife in my gut. “I’m being forced to join.”

Blair tilted her head. “There’s always a choice.”

My skin tingled as I gazed at her, and I hated my words even before they slipped past my lips. “I
choose
to join.”

Surprisingly, relief washed over Blair’s face. “Then, step forward.” I did, and she pointed to the two basins that we stood before. “You three,” she explained, pointing at Bethenny, Sirena, and myself. “Will drink from here.” She pointed to the basin on the right. “And you,” she continued, pointing at Yara, “will drink from the other one.”

One after another they picked up their goblets, dipped them into the basins and moved to stand before the fire.

Stepping slowly forward, I drew out what could be the last moments of my life.

Blair handed me a goblet.

I took it, careful not to touch her skin. A chill ran through my body as I allowed the goblet to sink beneath the surface of the dark liquid in the basin, before pulling it free. My legs moved with a numb stiffness as I crossed the space to stand beside the other girls.

“This ceremony is of great importance.” Blair spoke each word with practiced ease. “And it’s important that you all drink at the same time.”

I couldn’t look at her as she spoke. Instead, I gazed down at the drink.

In the light of the fire, the liquid in my goblet was the color of lavender on a beautiful spring day. A smile twisted my lips, my own reflection dancing in the purple substance. It seemed only proper that my life should end by something so beautiful. Something that reminded me of days spent lying in fields of lavender, laughing and talking with Sirena about our dreams of being Chosen. Even the smell of lavender filled my nostrils, and I prayed my memories would comfort me even in death.

“To choices,” Blair said, taking an empty goblet in her own slender hand and raising it to us in salute.

We raised the goblets to our lips in unison. I drank deeply, not wishing to draw out the effects the poison would likely wreak on my body.

It tasted of honey and rain. A combination that soothed my soul. My vision swam. My goblet hit the floor. I swayed on my feet, feeling weightless and heavy all at once. And then, something exploded, destroying me from the inside out.

Intense pain screamed through my veins, bones, and muscles. It expelled something akin to my organs through my pores, leaving behind a burning, searing spike of never-ending wretchedness.

I prayed for death’s sweet release, shrieking to Hadia to end my life.

Distantly I was aware of stone pressing into my belly as I crawled. It kept the sensation of my insides spilling to the floor at bay. Screaming filled my ears, and I wept, wanting to end the nightmare I’d stepped into.

Memories of long ago flooded me, of the day I’d worn my necklace for the first time. I remembered seeing the world differently, as if I’d awakened a sense I’d never known existed. Magic hummed all around me, in the trees, animals, and even within people. The sensation had faded abruptly, but always remained somewhere inside of me, not as sharp as that first moment, but present all the same.

This was like that, except different. Where my awareness to magic had been like a flash of cold water then, now it was like an icy river holding me beneath the waters. I sensed the magic in every stone of the castle, in every inch of enchanted glass, because now I could feel the many enchantments that vibrated through it. I sensed a powerful magic, untamed and dangerous. A magic that felt more beast than human, and then a magic so dauntingly strong I knew it could be no one but Blair.

My new awareness threatened to drown me. It battered my mind and body, trying to erase my ties to myself, to smoother me in the magic around me. But I refused, with the desperation of a person clinging to a rock in the center of a swirling river.

If I let go, I’d die.

So I didn’t. I repeated my name over and over again, clinging to it until I became aware of the shard around my neck burning against my flesh, jolting me from my nightmare. Slowly, my awareness of the magic around me faded to a humming.

Gasping in ragged breaths, I forced my eyes open. For a second the room swam, and then came sharply into focus. I’d made it to the edge of the wooden table the giant purple stone sat on, just visible from where I lay.

Time passed as I waited for the trembling in my body to slow. Part of me wanted nothing more than to slip into the peace of unconsciousness, but an unexpected part wanted the purple stone more than I wanted my next breath.

Light flashed from the stone’s surface.

Drawing upon strength I didn’t know I had, I gripped the edge of the table and forced myself up onto my knees. Reaching out, I traced its smooth exterior.

Unexpectedly, my fingers grazed a chip in its otherwise flawless surface, and I stroked the spot, watching as the purple stone blended to red. The shard of stone at my throat throbbed, and realization washed over me. My necklace, given to me by my father on my thirteenth birthday, was made from this same stone.

“Damn.” Clarissa muttered, and I tore my gaze from the stone to her heart shaped face, hovering just above me. “She’s still alive.”

I turned to the fireplace. Yara stood motionless, her eyes blank and lifeless. But Sirena and Bethenny were nowhere to be found. Rising, I limped to the young girl, holding my stomach to keep from tossing up my last meal.

“Where are the others?” I asked in desperation. “Where is Sirena?”

Clarissa’s sharp bark of a laugh was my only answer. “I wouldn’t bother asking her anything now. She couldn’t tell you her own name if she tried.”

I spun to face the hateful woman, the movement making my stomach lurch. “What have you done to her?”

The blonde shrugged. “We couldn’t just
allow
people to leave, could we? That’d create a lot of problems for us. And besides, who would scrub our floors if not for The Forgotten?”

A vision of the silent servants who haunted the halls came to my mind, and horror made my voice low. “You can’t have done this to her.”

“It’s already done,” Clarissa said, tapping her foot on the floor and glancing to where Blair waited. “And it can’t be undone, so can we move on with the ceremony?”

“What about Sirena? She chose to join The Order.”

“She wasn’t powerful enough,” Blair answered, as if this should erase the question from my mind.

“What does that mean?” I demanded.

“My goddesses!” Clarissa shouted. “How can a girl powerful enough to pass the test be so dense? All of you drank the potion, strained through The Orb. Your magic was unlocked, and those who weren’t strong enough, well… look at the ground!”

I obeyed, even though confusion and anger battled inside of me.

Two flowers, as red as blood, lay on the floor. They were exactly like the ones that surrounded the castle. With petals open, they looked full and healthy, even though they seemed too large for the single stems they grew upon.

My confusion slowly fled as I stared at them. An awful feeling, as cool as the hand of Hadia, gripped my heart.

“No,” I whispered, crumbling beside them. “This can’t be.”

I gathered the fragile lives in my hands.

“You’ve finally figured it out,” Clarissa remarked, followed by a bark of laugher.

I ignored her, staring at the red roses in my palms. It couldn’t be. It just wasn’t possible. Could one of these flowers truly be my gentle friend? Forever trapped inside a plant.

“But why?” I asked, too stunned to think of a better response.

Blair was at my side in an instant. “May I?” she asked, lifting the flowers from my numb hands. “These must be planted at once, or they shall die.” She handed them to Yara. “Take these through that door and hand them to the first girl you see.”

Yara obeyed, and the grip around my heart tightened.

“But they have no roots…” My words came out garbled.

“They’re magical,” Clarissa said. “They don’t need them to survive.”

“I know this is difficult for you,” Blair said, placing a hand on my shoulder and kneeling beside me. “But soon you will come to understand that we are on the side of good.”

“Good!” I shouted, tears rushing down my cheeks. “What good can come from turning girls into mindless slaves and flowers?”

She patted my shoulder, and I shook myself free from her touch, circling my arms around my knees. Uncontrollable sobs wracked my body, even while I shook my head, denying the tears and my loss.

“Your friends’ lives will not be given in vain. They will aid the fight against the Undead.”

I sobbed harder.

She rose. “You may have another moment to grieve the loss of them, then we must get to work, too much time has been wasted by your misbehavior already.”

Rubbing at my tears, I sucked in deep breaths, turning her words over in my mind. Get to work? My best friend was gone. What possible reason did I have to do anything these women asked of me?

Something dark took root in my chest.

I climbed to my feet, a single-minded goal pushing past my sorrow. “And what of Asher?”

She stiffened, glancing quickly at Clarissa. “This is something better discussed alone.”

“Where is he?” I demanded, hating the edge of desperation to my words.

“Don’t you have more pressing matters to focus on?”

I tried to level her with my most frightening glare. “You can’t take him just because he’s a wizard.”

Blair’s eyes widened in horror.

But as she opened her mouth to speak, Clarissa interrupted. “A
wizard
? What’s she talking about?”

Blair’s face returned to its familiar blank mask, but she addressed only me. “He’s dead now.”

I clenched my fists. “You lie.”

“Enough of this!” she shouted, spinning away from me. “Bring Meisha to me.”

Clarissa responded, a nervous flutter making her voice waver, “She’s still healing.”

“I don’t care,” Blair growled.

Clarissa hesitated for only a moment longer before disappearing down the dark servants’ hallway.

Exhausted, I crossed the room and sat in one of the many empty chairs at the long dining table, ignoring Blair as she paced, enraged. Her shadow moved along with her as she strode back and forth in front of the massive hearth. After a while, her movements irritated the pounding in my aching head.

Closing my eyes against both her shadow and the bright lights of the room, I tried to find the strength to face whatever might be coming next.

Minutes ticked by before the sound of someone walking carried over the crackle of the fire. Clarissa scurried into the room, a deep line of concern marring the smoothness of her high forehead. Behind her, Meisha entered. Her brilliant hair was concealed once more beneath a black scarf, and she wore a simple black gown. It spilled over her tall, lean frame, stopping just above her bare feet.

“You sent for me,” Meisha whispered. Pain danced just beneath her accent, and one of her hands hovered above her side.

“Take the girl to Sereus.”

Meisha and Clarissa stiffened.

“Are you sure this is wise?” Meisha questioned slowly. “She is both untrained and unprepared to handle the horrors of Sereus.”

“Do as you are told,” Blair ordered.

A flash of defiance showed in Meisha’s eyes. “Has she even given her pledge to the queen yet?”

To my surprise, Blair took a deep breath and answered with, “Not yet.” Then, she turned to me with barely concealed annoyance. “Are you ready girl?”

I was too tired to argue, but I couldn’t quite bring myself to pledge something I didn’t understand. “No. Why would I?”

Blair opened her mouth to speak, but Meisha answered more quickly. “We are The Protectors of Tarak, and so we serve the queen. Every Protector must swear an oath to her.”

The queen. An arrogant, selfish woman who taxed her people to the point of near starvation. I’d never considered that by being Chosen, I’d also have to serve
her
. Just the thought of it made me sag further in my chair. “And I’m guessing this is yet another thing I have no choice about.”

“Correct,” Blair said, no longer wasting her breath with false arguments about my many choices.

“Fine.”

Blair waved me towards her.

With shaking legs, I obeyed.

When I stopped in front of her, she ordered, “Repeat after me. I Rose Vidoryn swear to serve Queen Gaudias as a Protector of Tarak, until my dying breath.”

I stared at her. “Until my dying breath? No.”

Blair took a step closer, her fist clenched at her side. “Everyone must take the oath.”

I was about to argue, when Meisha spoke. “Blair, we need her. She has been through a far more difficult Choosing then any before her.”

“She needs to take it,” Blair said, through gritted teeth.

Meisha sighed. “It is not her fault she took the potion better than most.”

“I’m not saying it—”

“Clarissa took a full day to recover enough to take the oath. I took two days. Why can we not give her more time to understand what we do?”

Blair’s mouth drew into a thin line. “She shouldn’t need time. This is an honor.”

“Did you think it was an honor in the beginning?”

Blair opened her mouth and closed it several times before speaking. “Fine. Tonight she shall sleep. Tomorrow morning you will take her to Sereus. When she returns, she will take the oath, or I shall kill her myself.”

“Agreed,” Meisha said, tilting her head in an oddly inhuman gesture. “Now that this is finished…”

“Not yet,” Blair said, the anger gone from her voice. “You know she needs to be marked first.”

“Marked?” I asked, turning to Meisha.

But she avoided my gaze.

Seconds later, I hit the floor. Clarissa towered over me, her beautiful face just inches from my own. But even though I expected to see aggression, her eyes were wide with an unspoken apology. I tried to lean forward, but the blade of her knife pressed against my throat.

“What is this?” I asked, sweat trickling down my back.

Meisha forced my arm down. “It will not hurt. Blair will block the pain… for today.”

Then, I felt pressure on my wrist, but could see nothing. Clarissa blocked my view with her guilty face. I remained still, too shocked to move, until I caught the scent of burnt flesh.

I strained against the people holding me down. A scream built in my throat as every muscle in my body tensed as I tried, unsuccessfully, to escape.

“No.”

“I am truly sorry,” Meisha said, from somewhere beyond my vision.

Seconds later, I was released.

Blair tossed a hot poker back into the blazing fire.

With sick dread, I looked down at the Protector’s symbol burned into my wrist, then quickly away. A knot with an eye in the center of it, dark and clear. There could be no doubt what I was now.

It was too much. All of it was too much. I couldn’t handle any of what they’d done to me, but least of all being marked for eternity.