Triumph of Chaos (Red Magic) (31 page)

“That was ridiculously stupid. Brave, girl, but stupid.”

The voice was familiar, but I didn’t want to open my eyes. My body felt like one big sunburn: my skin was tight, and pain flared every time I shifted or breathed.

Someone set a cool cloth on my forehead, and I flinched.

“Oh, come on. If you’re going to fly through fire, you have to expect to get burned.”

I cracked one eye open. Set glared down at me.

“What happened?” My throat was dry, and my words were faint.

“Why don’t you tell me?”

I started to shake my head but stopped at the pain that shot up my neck. “I don’t know. It’s fuzzy.”

“You better believe it’s fuzzy! What were you thinking, defying Hecate and setting yourself on fire?”

His words ran together in my head, and it took me a moment to sort out what he’d just said. “Setting myself on fire?”

Set nodded. “You’re covered in third-degree burns. I’ve done my best to patch you up, but that’s not really my expertise.”

“But I don’t remember fire. There was Hecate—” I sat up fast, and pain assaulted me. “Oh my gods. She didn’t kill me?”

“Apparently not. But that doesn’t mean you’re safe. We need to get you home so you can regroup. Her army is still a threat.”

I nodded, trying to ignore the pain the movement caused. “Okay.” My brain was muddy. “Plane ticket and a passport?”

He smiled. “I was thinking something a bit more expedient than that.”

Set stood up, and Isis stepped into view. Her wings were more shimmery than I remembered, and looking at her felt like staring at an optical illusion.

“Can you stand, Darlena?” Her voice was soft but firm, and I suddenly found myself filled with a desire to please her. I shook my head, clearing the spell, and I tested my legs. It took a bit of wobbling, and Set had to prop me up, but I finally managed to stay on my feet.

“Sort of.” I tried to laugh, but my ribs hurt. I glanced down at my body, but I was wrapped in white linen bandages. I looked like an ancient mummy, and even though that was a little weird, I was momentarily grateful to not have to see the extent of my burns right away. “What happened to Hecate and the other gods?”

Set took a few steps back, glancing at his sister in disgust. “Whatever stupid stunt you pulled, kid, there will be time to worry about it later.”

Isis nodded. “Right now, I just want to help you get home. Close your eyes, Darlena.”

I started to obey, but I cracked my left eye open and looked at Set. “However you saved me, thanks.”

He snorted. “You saved yourself. I just found you.”

I hesitated. “Still, thank you. You didn’t have to help me.”

“I know. Maybe you’ll return the favor.” Set’s canine face grinned, and I almost had the urge to play fetch with him. Almost.

“I don’t know how.”

“I’ll think of a way. I don’t leave debts unsettled, and you owe me one, Darlena.”

I nodded, pieces of my broken memory sliding into place. “I flew.”

“I know. It was impressive.” He eyed me sharply. “Sure you don’t want a patron? I’d be happy to have you.”

Isis clucked her tongue in exasperation. “Now is not the time, brother.” She looked at me, and I swayed on my feet. “Come, now. Let’s get you home.” She wrapped her shimmering wings around me, but instead of the blackout I’d been expecting, the world around us shifted and solidified into the night sky. It was vast and beautiful, and I started to smile.

I felt like I was standing in the planetarium in Chapel Hill, watching the fake stars rotate above me. “Are those really the stars?”

Isis laughed. “What else would they be?”

I tipped my head back and stared. The movement of the sky made me dizzy, but I had never seen anything so beautiful and clear. “Does it always look like that?”

“For me. The stars always shine brighter when I travel among them.”

I grinned, forgetting my pain. “Of all the ways I’ve traveled lately, I think I like this the most.”

She laughed again, a sound like bells. “Well spoken, for a mortal.”

Her words dislodged a memory. I hesitated, but now might be my only chance to ask. “When Set helped me in the desert, he said something that I couldn’t believe,” I began, cautiously.

She snorted daintily. “My brother often says things that are unbelievable. That’s the nature of chaos: lies and deceit.”

I shook my head. “This was hard to believe, but it didn’t sound like a lie. At least,” I amended, “
he
meant it.”

“What did he say to you?”

I took a deep breath. “He told me why he kidnapped Izzy last year.”

Her face darkened. “And what confession did he make?”

“He said he took her to keep you from turning her into a goddess and making her your daughter.”

I waited for the goddess to laugh or tell me I was insane. Instead, she tightened her wings around me, blotting out the stars.

“I would be careful which things you repeat, Darlena.” Her voice was soft, but there was a sharpness to her tone that frightened me. “Especially the words of an insane god like Set.”

I nodded at her. “And I would hope that you, of all people, er, gods,” I stumbled, “would know better than to mess with the natural order. We don’t want things to dissolve into chaos, do we?”

We stared at each other, at a stalemate, and Isis never took her eyes off me when she finally said, “Remember, child, that you do not have say over all things. There are still the gods, Darlena.”

“I wouldn’t want it any other way. I just wanted to know if you were really thinking of doing something like that.”

Isis didn’t answer, and her dark eyes glittered, warning me not to say any more. I dropped it, and we flew through the stars in silence. At some point I fell asleep, because eventually I woke up to the strange sensation of being gently rocked.

Isis was cradling me in her wings. “You should be awake when you arrive. There will be much explaining for you to do.”

I nodded. “A cup of coffee would help.”

She smiled. “Even my powers are limited. But I can drop you off at a shop before I take you home.”

I thought of the coffee shop near my old school. Rochelle had burned it to the ground when all this started, and no one had bothered to rebuild on the barren lot. “No, thanks. Home is a good place to start.”

She nodded. “Home is always the start.” Her wings brushed against my cheeks as she set me on the ground. “Remember, Darlena,” she cautioned before she lifted into the sky. “Not all gods are truth tellers. Make your own decisions.”

“That’s what I’m trying to do.” I paused, and then I smiled at her. “Thank you for bringing me back.”

She nodded. “I think we may meet again.” With that, she vanished in a shimmer of rainbow light. It was like watching a beautiful bubble pop: everything faded a little bit once she was gone.

Isis had dropped me on the street in front of my house. I stared up at it, and for the first time since I’d faced Hecate, I felt a sliver of doubt. Had I really done the right thing? I’d given up my only chance to start over, and that meant I’d really lost my parents.

Before those thoughts could take hold, the door of the house opened, and Izzy rushed out. The twins were close behind her, and they were all smiling like they’d won the lottery. I barely had time to hold up my arms before Izzy launched herself at me. I braced myself for the pain of pressure on my burns, but nothing happened. I looked down in surprise: my bandages had vanished, and there didn’t even seem to be any scars. Awkwardly, I hugged Izzy back, whispering a silent thank you to Isis for healing me.

She hugged me tight, and Ben threw his arms around both of us. Even Brad patted my shoulder.

“What’s the big deal?” I tried to act incensed, but I was smiling too. Fit to burst, my dad would have said.

“I was so sure you were going to turn yourself over to her. I thought you’d given up!”

I shook my head. “It wasn’t ever about giving up. I was going to try to get a do-over.”

Izzy’s eyes widened. “You seriously thought she’d let you take it back? I don’t believe you!”

“It’s true. But at the end, I couldn’t do it.”

Brad sighed and turned to Ben. “I owe you five bucks.”

His brother nodded, and Izzy and I gaped at them.

“You guys were betting on her?”

Ben looked sheepish, but Brad nodded. “Right. On whether my visions were right or not.” He smiled at me. “I’m glad I was wrong.”

You were almost right.
I didn’t want to tell them how close I’d come to giving up, and luckily they didn’t ask. Izzy was more interested in what I’d actually done rather than what I’d planned to do.

“What did Hecate say to you?”

I looked at my wrists. Dried blood still caked the two slashes, a visible reminder of my ordeal. “She asked me to choose my path. And I told her that I choose chaos.”

They were silent for a minute. Finally, Ben asked, “So we’re still fighting against Hecate?”

“You don’t have to. But I’m still going to try to bring balance to chaos. I don’t want to let the gods end the world.”

Izzy smacked my arm. “Of course we have to! We’re all in this together.”

The boys nodded, and tears welled up in my eyes. “I don’t think I deserve your help, but thank you.”

Brad grinned wickedly. “At last, she learns a little humility!”

Ben laughed, and Izzy sighed. “You two are worse than children sometimes.”

“Aw, you know you love us.” Ben’s eyes sparkled, and Izzy smiled up at him.

“Whatever.” She gave him a playful shove, and he folded her into a hug. They headed toward the house.

I started to follow them, but Brad touched my shoulder. “I’m glad you chose to keep fighting. I don’t think we would stand a chance without you.”

“I wasn’t going to.” For some reason, I felt compelled to be honest with him.

“I know.”

“But then I realized where she’d brought me. I’d seen it before, in a dream.”

His brow creased. “Why would a dream make you change your mind?”

I took a ragged breath. “It was a dream of the end of the world. Hecate was victorious, and you were all prisoners. But I wasn’t there.” I didn’t mention that in the dream I had been Hecate.

Brad’s eyes widened. “Was the sky orange?”

I stared at him in surprise. “How did you know?”

“That was one of the visions I had. It was why I was trying to talk to you before you left.”

I shook my head. “Everybody tried to talk to me. I didn’t realize until I was there.”

Brad hugged me awkwardly. “Like I said, I’m glad you made the right choice.”

It was more than just the end of the world that decided me, but I didn’t want to tell Brad about the conversation with Rochelle. That wasn’t something I was ready to discuss with anyone yet.
If she was willing to risk everything to get what I have,
I reminded myself as I walked inside,
my life must be pretty special, even with all the chaos.

Things settled into an easy rhythm. Izzy and I worked with the twins to teach them magic each day, and whenever we could stand the heat, we had a fire. Most of the time, we didn’t worry about continuing the lessons around the fire: we just wanted to roast s’mores and talk. Brad and Ben went home around eleven each night, and Izzy and I said good night to each other by twelve. She had moved out from the cot in my room into the guest room, and although I missed the company, it was nice to finally have some time alone.