Triumph of Chaos (Red Magic) (12 page)

“I need to talk to you!” I cupped my hand over her ear and yelled.

She looked at me, confused. “Now?”

I grabbed her hand, pulling her away from the crowd. “Now.”

Even though it got quiet enough to talk once we rounded the corner, I kept my lips pressed together until we got back to our bikes.

“I’ve changed my mind,” I said to her. “We need to go home. Now.”

“Darlena, what’s wrong with you? Those guys were perfectly nice, and they could both do magic.”

“They’re from Hawaii!”

She looked at me, her face unreadable. “So, what, you’re a closet racist?”

“Izzy, this has nothing to do with race. It’s—” I broke off, trying to articulate my experiences with Pele, as Ben came around the corner.

“Listen, what kind of crap is this?” He glared at me. “Are you guys running some kind of weird Internet show or something?”

Brad walked up behind his brother. “Cool it, B. They’re just stupid is all.”

My anger exploded. “We aren’t stupid, and we aren’t filming you for TV. Magic is real, which you’d realize if you ever bothered to open your eyes. I mean, you’re the ones who brought up Pele. You can’t say she’s stupid, can you?”

When I finished speaking, all three of them were staring at me like I’d lost my mind.

“You’re totally whacked, girl.” Brad began to turn away, but Ben shook his head.

“Have you ever been to Hawaii?” His golden eyes held mine, and I shook my head. He raised an eyebrow. “Then how do you know Pele?”

I took a deep breath. “Because I’m a Witch.”

Izzy smiled. “We both are.”

Ben stared at us. “Brad, stick around. I think this is for real.”

His twin threw his hands up in the air, but he sat down on the curb.

“So you’re a Witch,” Ben repeated thoughtfully. “Can you prove it?”

I looked at Izzy, and she shrugged. “You can’t just trust us?”

“Why would I? One minute you girls are chatting us up, then you say the magic word, and
bam
, you take off running like thugs.” He glared at me defiantly. “Why in the world would I trust you?”

He had a point. “Fine. Watch and learn.” Carefully, I summoned a pinch of Red energy and released it through my hands, shaping a glowing ball. It pulsed dangerously, and I tried to keep my thoughts clear.

Brad clapped sarcastically from the ground. “Nice trick.” He looked up at Ben. “Can we leave now?”

Without thinking, I flung the energy ball at Brad. He ducked, and it clattered to the pavement behind him, ripping the stone like an earthquake. Izzy glared at me, and quickly I focused on repairing the damage. It took a minute because I was upset, but it finally worked. The sidewalk was uneven, but the gash I’d made was gone.

“They’re not interested. Let’s go.” I grabbed my bike, expecting Izzy to follow me. But she was standing there watching the brothers.

Brad looked appropriately scared, but Ben’s eyes were shinning. “So, why did you show us that?”

“We need help,” Izzy said simply, “and we could teach you two magic in exchange.”

Ben broke into a wide smile. “Count me in!”

Brad groaned. “You are such a loser.”

“Dude, she almost incinerated you! That was so cool. This stuff is for real.”

Izzy and I watched as they argued. She was smiling sadly, and I wondered if she and Marcus had ever argued like that. Guiltily, I pushed the thought of him away.

Finally, Brad stood up. “We’ll come with you, but that doesn’t mean we have to stick around.”

Izzy shrugged. “Fair enough. That’ll give us a chance to introduce you to the others, at least. Maybe they’ll change your minds.”

“Others?” Ben echoed.

I smiled nastily. “Yes. We’re forming a Coven.” I didn’t wait to see their reaction before I turned and got on my bike. Izzy grabbed the handlebars.

“There’s only two bikes. We should let them ride.”

I glared at her. “What, and we get to walk?”

Ben laughed. “Not at all. May I?”

I hesitated, but then I dismounted from the bike and leaned it toward him. “Be my guest.”

“I can peddle, if you want to sit.” He hopped on the pedals experimentally, and I looked at Izzy.

“Marcus and I used to do this all the time. It’s safe enough.”

Ben glanced at her, and I thought I saw a flicker of jealousy on his face. “Who’s Marcus? Your boyfriend?”

“Brother. He’s dead.” Izzy’s voice was quiet, and for a moment, no one said anything. Then she sat on her bike, keeping her feet pulled away from the pedals. “Are we going?”

Brad got on the bike in front of her, and Ben looked at me with his eyebrow raised.

I sighed. “Fine. But just in case you were wondering, magic doesn’t bring people back from the dead. Try not to kill us.”

He grinned. “As you wish, Your Highness.”

Justin was waiting on the porch when we pulled up to my house. His face was impossible to read, but he walked over to me and slipped his arm around my waist as I hopped off the bike. I almost fell on my face, and his arm tightened around me.

“Where were you guys?” He kissed me on the cheek, ignoring the twins.

What’s with the PDA all of a sudden?
“We headed downtown. Izzy wanted to try something.” I took a step back, carefully not looking at Justin.

“We found them!” Izzy declared with a smile.

Justin looked at her and then seemed to notice Ben and Brad. “I see. Who are they?”

“They’re Nons,” I began hurriedly when I saw Brad open his mouth. “Izzy thinks they could learn magic.”

Justin nodded, and after a second, he stuck out his hand. “Justin.”

“Ben. This is my brother, Brad.”

Brad grumbled something that might have been a greeting, and Justin turned back to me.

“Everyone’s around back. Dr. Farren called a meeting.”

Was she planning to tell me about it?
I tried to smile. “Then this is as good a time as any for these guys to meet everyone.”

“Did Darlena tell you what this is all about?” Justin looked at Ben, but he shook his head.

“Just that we might be able to learn to do magic. She said you all needed help of some kind?”

“The world’s about to end. We need everyone we can to stop it.”

Brad’s jaw dropped. “I told you they were kooks.”

“Cool it.” Ben didn’t flinch. “We’ll at least stick around to hear what everyone has to say.”

Izzy grabbed his hand. “Come around back. I’ll introduce you guys to Lorna and Dr. Farren.”

The three of them rounded the side of the house, and I felt Justin’s eyes on me.

“What are you doing, Lena?”

I avoided his gaze. “What are you talking about?”

He sighed. “You’ve been pulling away from me ever since you got back. What’s happening to us?”

Finally, I looked at him. “What ‘us’, Justin? We broke up two years ago.” I hated to say it, but once I started, I couldn’t stop. “And then last year, after the love spell, you ditched me again. When did we get back together that I didn’t notice?”

Justin clenched his jaw. “We’ve been working things out. I thought this is what you wanted.”

“I don’t know what I want!” My words surprised us both, and for a fleeting moment, I remembered the feeling of Marcus’s lips on mine. I swallowed, trying to ignore the memory. “A lot has changed,” I explained weakly. “We’ve been apart for over a year!”

“It only felt like two weeks to you, though.” His voice was accusing, and I shrugged.

“At first, yes. But the longer I’ve been back, the more different everything feels. Not just us,” I hurried to add, “but with my parents too. I lost a year of my life, and everyone’s changed.” Dusk had fallen while we talked, and his face was bathed in shadows. It made him almost look like a stranger.

He took a step closer to me, his nose almost touching mine. “I haven’t changed. I still love you.”

My heart began to beat wildly as I looked at him. Our lips were so close. I could lean forward and kiss him, and we could pretend this strangeness between us had never happened. I shut my eyes, trying to decide of it would be a mistake or not, but before I could act, he closed the distance and kissed me.

Marcus’s angry voice whispered in my ear. “This does nothing to stop the gods or avenge me.”

The kiss suddenly tasted bitter and I pulled away, tears pricking the corners of my eyes. “I’m sorry, Justin. It’s just all different right now. I don’t know what I want. I can’t think of anything but stopping Hecate and Loki and Rochelle. I don’t want the world to end.”

He closed his eyes as if he were denying my words. When he finally spoke, his voice was carefully neutral. “I will keep helping you however I can.” Abruptly, he spun on his heel. “We really should get back to the meeting. What were you thinking, bringing those two Nons here?”

I shrugged, trying to ignore the way my heart stung at his tone. “Izzy says they can help.”

“I guess we’ll see, won’t we?” He disappeared around the side of the house.

For a minute, I just stood there. The air was muggy and thick, the kind of dusk I usually expected around my birthday in August.
How much worse will this summer get?

“It will be unbearable if you don’t act soon.” Persephone’s voice was soft, and when I looked at her, her face was tipped toward the sky.

It was a relief to see her, and my worries spilled out of my mouth before I could think. “Everything’s falling apart. My parents won’t help, and Aphrodite’s joined the crazy gods. Dr. Farren’s patron won’t even support her!”

Persephone was quiet for a minute. “Is that what’s worrying you? That a patron may not be worth taking?”

I narrowed my eyes at her. “How long were you standing out here?”

She shrugged. “Long enough.”

“Then you know that isn’t the only thing on my mind.”

“Darlena, have you considered that perhaps a formal Coven is not the only way to combat your enemies?”

I stared at her, confused. “But I only beat Rochelle the second time because Izzy was helping me.”

“Multiple magics can work together without the formal bonds of a Coven. Perhaps it is time for you to consider different options.”

In my heart I knew she was right, but I didn’t want to believe that we’d wasted so much time.

Persephone answered my thoughts. “Building alliances is never wasted time. You will need all the help you can get if you are to succeed in this quest.”

“Do you still want to help me?”

She inclined her head gently. “I seek balance. If that is still your aim, then you can count me as your ally.”

I hesitated. “I haven’t decided anything about taking you as my patron, you know.”

“Even though I helped our mothers to find reconciliation?”

I crossed my arms. “That was you?”

She nodded.

After a beat, I said, “Thank you. But I’m still not sure.”

“I know. I could help you more directly if you did, but in the meantime, I will still offer whatever assistance I can.” She paused, looking up as a bat fluttered overhead. “You need to know that the other Red has not picked a side yet.”

I stared at her in surprise. “How do you even know that?”

The goddess smiled. “Don’t forget that Red magic is under my sphere of influence. This might be an opportunity for you to tip the balance in your favor.”

A sudden feeling of excitement bubbled up in my chest. “If we could talk to her, maybe we could convince her that Rochelle is nuts.”

“Or that the world is not ready to be remade,” she whispered softly.

I nodded. “That would make so much difference if we had two Reds on our side.” I looked into the goddess’s dark eyes. “Can you tell me where to find her?”

“India,” the goddess said simply. “Take that knowledge and use it however you choose. But Darlena,” she added with a note of caution, “remember that you do not act alone any longer. If you are committed to your circle, this is a decision that must be shared.”

I felt myself deflating; for a moment, I’d had a fantasy of trekking through India in search of the other Red. “You’re right.” I swallowed bitterly, thinking about Marcus. “Things didn’t go so well the last time I went looking for a Red.”

The goddess touched my head in blessing. “You have come far, little one, but you still have much to learn. Remember to accept help when it is freely given.”

I nodded. “Thank you.” She vanished into the night, and after a moment, I headed around back to find everyone and tell them the new information from the goddess.
Who knows,
I thought.
This might be a game changer.