Triumph of Chaos (Red Magic) (32 page)

Every day, we poured over international news sites, looking for Rochelle’s next disaster. I finally told Izzy that I’d seen Rochelle, but I didn’t give her all the details of the encounter. What worried me enough to share it, however, was the fact that Rochelle seemed to know where Justin and Dr. Farren were.

“I’d feel a lot better if we’d heard anything from them, but it’s been two months without a word!” June was hotter than the spring, if that was even possible, and Izzy and I were sucking on Popsicles, trying not to drip on the keyboard as we did our daily news roundup.

She fanned herself with the mouse pad. “I know, but there hasn’t been any bad news in India. We have to keep assuming that they’re okay.”

I stared at the computer screen. Destruction and tragedy were always in the headlines, but nothing seemed related to Rochelle. It was just the average amount of chaos. “Still. It feels weird.”

She smiled at me sympathetically. “I know you miss him, but it’ll all work out. You have to keep believing that.”

“I know. I do believe it. I just feel like we can’t move forward until we know what they’ve found.”

Izzy shrugged. “It’d be nice to wait, but I don’t think we should.” She gestured to the computer. “There’s a lot of chaos in the world, and we haven’t done a thing to stop it.”

I sighed and turned the monitor off. “I know. I guess I keep waiting for a miracle or something.”

“We’ve gotta make our own miracle.”

I paused, considering. “Well, it’s hurricane season again. That’s been a good time for me to work in the past.”

Izzy smiled. “So what are you waiting for? A sign from the gods?”

She was right. That evening, I locked myself in my room with my old atlas and some red spell candles. I thought about the hurricane that I’d turned back the first summer I became a Red, but I didn’t want to do the same thing. Energy has to go somewhere, and I wasn’t sure what harm I’d caused to the weather patterns by destroying that hurricane.

Instead, I focused on the East coast. I traced my finger down the continent, looping around the Caribbean. Slowly, I built a shield along the coastline, strengthening it with my energy until the red candle burned out. If it worked, hurricanes would still form this season, but none of them would make landfall.

I tumbled into bed, not bothering to put away my atlas. The magic had sapped my strength, and I felt heavy and leaden. As my eyes closed, I mouthed, “I hope it works” to the dark room.

The next morning, I was surprised to wake up exhilarated. Usually, magic left me drained and fried for a day or more, and the spell I’d done hadn’t been easy. Still, I was up before Izzy, and she was usually a disgusting morning person.

I brewed a pot of coffee and sat down at the kitchen table, and I had a flash of memory of sitting there with my parents. Mom was smiling over a mug of tea, and Dad was ranting good-naturedly at the newspaper. It could have been any morning in my life, but instead of choking up, the memory brought a sad smile to my face.

“I miss you guys,” I whispered.

“They miss you too. But death is just another part of life.”

I looked up at the dark-haired goddess. The morning light illuminated her from behind, and she glowed like a church painting.

“I was wondering when I’d see you again.”

Persephone pulled out a chair and sat across from me. “Care to share that coffee?”

I looked at her, surprised. “I didn’t know gods drank coffee.”

“When we have to be up traipsing around the world in the wee hours of the morning, we do.”

I laughed, and then got up to fill a second mug. She accepted it gratefully and took a long swallow.

“So,” I began, “how do you know my parents are okay?”

“Death isn’t the end of life, Darlena. It’s just another journey. They were good people, so of course they’re doing well.”

“But my father—”

The goddess smiled slightly. “Hades told me about your explosive visit. Your father has been, well, transferred.”

“Transferred?”

“I exerted my influence to have him moved. He is now in my husband’s realm, with your mother.”

I stared at her. “He’s not in Purgatory anymore?”

She nodded. “It didn’t seem fair, and I talked it over with Hades once he cooled down.” She laughed. “I must say, you had him angrier than I’ve ever seen.”

I blushed. “I said some things that would have pissed anyone off.”

She reached her hand toward mine and gave me a gentle squeeze. “But actions speak louder than words. And your actions righted a number of wrongs.”

“I hope so. It still feels like I may have made the wrong choice.”

“But you stuck with the choice you made. Whether it was a mistake or not, you took responsibility, Darlena. That was very brave.”

I was saved from having to answer by a sharp squeal at the door of the kitchen. Izzy stood in the doorway grinning. There was a pause, and then she launched herself at the goddess. Persephone patted her back gently, smiling.

“How are you? I thought Darlena chased you off for good.”

I rolled my eyes at Izzy, and Persephone laughed indulgently.

“She tried. But for some reason, I find that I have loyalty to this Witch.”

Her eyes held mine, and after a moment, I nodded once. “I guess I do, too.”

Izzy looked back and forth between the two of us. “Wait. Are you saying you’re actually ready to take a patron?”

Even though I’d learned there were more ways to be a Witch than I’d ever imagined, I was tied to Red magic by my own choices, and with it, I felt pulled to Persephone.
And,
I realized,
I don’t want to be alone anymore.
I nodded again, more slowly this time, and I never broke eye contact with the goddess. “If the offer still stands.”

Persephone rose and spread her hands. “If that’s what you truly wish.”

Izzy clapped her hands in delight. She stopped quickly, looking embarrassed, but Persephone didn’t laugh. Neither did I.

“All right,” I said suddenly. “I’ll do it.”

The goddess smiled. “Hold out your hands.”

I did, and in an instant, a single red pomegranate appeared between them. I grabbed it before it slipped to the floor.

“Cut the fruit, and eat three seeds.”

I glanced around. “Izzy, can you hand me a knife?”

Persephone touched my shoulder gently. “Check your pocket.”

I stared at her like she was insane, but I stuck my left hand in my back pocket. “What the—”

“You reclaimed it when you took your fate from Hecate. It’s yours by right.”

I barely heard the goddess. I was staring at my mother’s dagger, sheathed neatly as if it had never been gone. I pulled the blade out and swallowed. My blood was still dried along its razor-sharp edge.

Persephone pointed wordlessly to the fruit between my hands. The pomegranate was tough, and I had to bear down with a lot of force to cut through the skin. Once the cut was made, however, the knife slid smoothly through and grazed my palm. Ignoring the pain, I pulled the rind apart.

Red seeds were bursting at the seams of the pomegranate, waiting to explode in my hands. I plucked three seeds and looked up at the goddess.

“That’s it? Just eat three seeds?”

She nodded. “Eat the seeds, and be prepared to accept the consequences of your actions.”

I chuckled dryly. “Looks like I’ll be getting a lot of practice at that from now on.” I swallowed the seeds. It felt like I should say something, too, and after a moment, I spoke. “I take you as my patron, Lady of Flowers, and I will stand by the consequences of my deeds.”

She nodded, unsurprised. “I accept you, Darlena Agara, and I, too, will stand by the consequences of my actions.”

Red sparks descended over us like pixie dust, and Izzy gasped in wonder. My skin tingled, but instead of feeling different, I felt like myself for the first time in months.

After a moment, I grinned, and Persephone smiled broadly at me. Izzy clapped her hands, laughing.

“That was beautiful!” She hugged me, and then bowed to the goddess. “I’ll let you two talk. I know how special it is to have a patron.” She skipped from the kitchen, and I smiled after her.

Persephone nodded. “Come.” She linked her arm in mine and led me to the dining room. “I think, little Witch, that you have much to tell me. But for now,” she squeezed my arm gently, “I am glad you are back.”

“Me too.” I took a deep breath, ready to tell her all that had happened, but she shook her head.

“As I said,” she spoke softly, “your actions spoke louder than your words.”

I nodded at her, grateful that she wasn’t going to make me relive my ordeal just yet.

“And Darlena,” she said as she started to fade, “I never doubted that you would make the right choice. And it
was
the right choice. Trust yourself.”

“Darlena! You’d better get in here!” Ben’s voice was sharp, and I rushed into the living room.

“What is it?”

He pointed to his laptop, where a news video was streaming. “—off the coast of India,” the reporter was saying.

My heart crashed into my ribs. “What happened?”

Izzy rested her chin on Ben’s shoulder. “A massive quake.” Her voice was trembling.

“Bigger than the one that caused the tsunami a few years ago. Asia is effectively screwed.” Brad grabbed the computer from his brother and began searching through news articles.

“Oh, no.” I sank down on the ottoman. “That means Justin and Dr. Farren—”

“We don’t know what it means,” Ben offered reasonably.

His brother snorted. “We know there’s probably already a massive wave headed for the southeast coast of Asia.” He typed something and frowned. “Look at how much damage the last tsunami caused.”

Brad turned the computer around to face us, but I looked away. Images of total devastation scrolled across the screen. “Rochelle can’t do this.”

Ben patted my arm. “We don’t know for sure if it was her.”

I shook my head. “I’m sure it was her. She threatened to do something in India. I didn’t listen.”

Izzy nodded. “You did listen. But India isn’t your territory; there’s nothing you can do.”

“Um, guys,” Brad spoke softly from across the room, but I ignored him.

“There has to be a way to do more than I’ve been doing!”

Ben shrugged. “We haven’t been hit by a hurricane yet this summer, and neither has anybody else. That seems like a lot to me.”

Izzy nodded. “You can only control one-third of the global chaos, Darlena. Remember that.”

“Guys!” Brad’s voice was more insistent, and we all looked at him. “Check this out.”

He passed the computer back to me, and I skimmed the breaking news report. I stopped reading, confused. “Does this say what I think it says?”

“’Swallowed up, as if it never existed,’” Izzy read over my shoulder. She looked up at me, her eyes bright.

Ben scratched his head. “What’s going on?”

“‘The tsunami,’” I read aloud, “‘vanished.’”

“How is that even possible? Are you sure it just didn’t start to begin with?”

I shook my head and pointed at the blurry photos that accompanied the short news bulletin. “That’s a picture of the wave that someone snapped a few minutes after the quake. And that,” I pointed to the second image of a placid sea, “is what just happened.”

“So the tsunami just disappeared?” It was clear that Ben still didn’t get it, but before I could explain, Izzy leaped up and hugged me.

“He did it! He found the other Red!”

I squeezed her back. “It sure looks like that!”

Ben’s expression cleared. “You think Justin and Dr. Farren found the other Red?”

I nodded. “Only a Red could stop chaos like that. They must have found her!”

Brad let out a whoop and stood up. “This calls for a celebration!”

Izzy kissed Ben quickly. “We’re doing it! We’re beating chaos.”

I grinned at the ceiling. “Now it’s two-thirds of the world, Rochelle!”

Thunder rumbled across the house, and we all jumped. But then a metallic drumming sound started, and I rushed to the door.

“Rain!” Sure enough, silver droplets were racing to the ground, and the sky was inky. “That wasn’t Hecate warning us.” I laughed giddily. “It’s really raining!”