Triumph of Chaos (Red Magic) (6 page)

“What do you mean?”

I struggled to put my thoughts into words. “You’re helping me because you believe in me, even though I haven’t done anything to prove that you should. Hell, even though I’ve done things that should prove you can’t trust me.”
And even though you don’t know everything that happened in Scotland.

His face hovered close to mine, his eyes glistening in the growing darkness. “I take a lot of things on faith.” He pulled me closer, almost kissing me. “But you’re very, very tangible and real. I trust you because I can’t help myself.”

His breath was warm on my face, and he lingered there for a moment before I leaned toward him. Our lips met, and I felt the dizzying sensation of uncertainty. For an instant, I didn’t remember if I was kissing Justin or Marcus, and I pulled away. Confused, I dropped my eyes to my lap.

I cleared my throat. “I’m glad you trust me. I just hope you won’t regret it again.”

He sighed. “I know that the love spell was part of your training from Aphrodite. But she’s not your patron anymore. You won’t ever work magic on me again, will you?”

Mutely, I shook my head.

Justin kissed me again, gently this time, and I forced myself to focus on him. “I trust you, Darlena. And I want to help you. Just tell me what you need.”

What did I need?
Forgiveness, for a start
. And maybe a supersecret weapon. “I need some time to come up with a plan. Baldur said a lot of things tonight, and I need to think.” I stood up, disentangling myself from his arms.

Justin rose too. “Your dad said you have a week, right?”

I smiled weakly. “Maybe I should just let him send me to school. At least then I could recruit the Nons.”

He smiled, but he shook his head. “I told you, I don’t think that’s the place to start. Remember what I said about teaching.”

I started to protest, but he lifted his finger to my lips, and my skin started to tingle.

His eyes held mine. “Please, Lena. Sleep on it.” Slowly, he removed his finger, and I fought back the urge to reach for him. Still, I stood there on the porch long after he had left, staring at the darkening sky and trying to sort through my jumbled thoughts.

Maybe Justin’s right. All I need is a good night’s sleep, and then I’ll be able to figure things out
. But my subconscious had other ideas.

***

In my nightmare, I was walking across a dead field. After what felt like miles, I came to the edge of a deep chasm. My foot dislodged a stone and I could hear it bouncing toward the bottom of the hole, but I never heard it stop; the sound just sort of faded away. Curious, I leaned forward to get a closer look at the bottomless pit when I sensed someone standing behind me.

Marcus was there, his face expressionless and his fists clenched. Dried blood caked his shirt, and I shuddered, remembering the gunshot that had killed him.

I hesitated, but then I spoke to him. “Where are we?”

He spread his hands wide. “You might say it’s the end of the world.”

I shook my head, confused. “But that’s just a pit.”

Marcus laughed. “Silly Witch. True, where we are physically is
just
a pit, as you put it. But it’s where we are in the stream of time that I am talking about. And because of you, we are standing at the end of the world.”

I glared at him. “Look, I wanted to wait and get help from the Coven. You’re the one who pushed us at the end!”

His lips twisted in a wicked smirk. “I told you, love is my fatal flaw. I would have done anything to save Izzy.”

“She won’t be safe if the world ends.”

Marcus shrugged. “I grow tired of your concerns.” He thrust out the palm of his hand, toppling me backward into the pit. I screamed, but no sound came out of my mouth. It was like I’d been pushed into a vacuum; there were no sounds at all, just silence as I fell. I kept hoping I would land, hoping it would end, but I was still falling when the dream changed.

The pit surrounding me became a vast, empty space, and I hung suspended in midair. A faint red glow filled the void, and I could see dark figures standing around me in a circle. I couldn’t make out any of their features, but power emanated from all sides, and something told me that I was surrounded by gods.

I finally found my voice. “Can you help me?” I begged the strange figures.

A low chuckle filled the room. “The time for that is past. The world must be remade.”

With a chill, I realized that I was facing the crazy Red gods. Was Loki there? Was Hecate? I looked frantically around the circle. “What would change your mind?”

“Nothing,” they hissed, the word enveloping me like water.

“But if you destroy the world, no one will be left to work magic for you!”

Rochelle strode into the room beneath me. “Darlena, get a clue,” she said. “They’ll only kill the people who stand in their way. And when you’re gone, the world will belong to us!” She raised her arms in a ritual gesture, and black flames shot up around the perimeter of the room. The gods vanished, but Rochelle stayed beneath me, watching as the fire crept closer. My flesh started to burn, and the smell of singed hair filled my nostrils.

I woke up with a scream, my heart pounding in my chest. Before I had a chance to calm down, my computer pinged insistently. I staggered over to my open laptop, bleary and confused.
What now?

There were five new messages from Izzy. The first one, sent two hours ago, seemed optimistic.

Izzy: We have a plan, will tell you more when we get back.

The next message, sent five minutes ago, seemed like it had come from another person.

Izzy: Disaster! Need you now.

The next three messages were frantic pleas for me to wake up.

My hands started shaking. What was happening to her? Quickly, I sat down and typed a reply. I turned on Skype, and Izzy’s face filled the screen. Her skin was smudged with dirt, and her eyes looked wild.

I sat back, shocked. “What’s going on?”

“Darlena, it’s bad. The Coven is gone.”

I stared at her, sure I hadn’t heard her right.
How can they be gone?
She looked over her shoulder nervously.

“We’re coming to you. Those of us that are left.”

“What are you talking about?” I gripped the screen, trying to get Izzy to look at me.

“There’s no time now. I just needed to warn you.”

She wasn’t making any sense. “What happened? Were you attacked?”

She sobbed. “Yes. No. Oh, it’s not what you think. It’s worse.”

“What could be worse?” Images of Armageddon flashed through my mind, but they didn’t prepare me for what Izzy was about to say.

“Roy and Samuel sold us out. They broke their oaths to the Coven and attacked us while we were working magic together.”

I stared at her, dumbfounded. “Your dad and your uncle betrayed you?”

She made a sound that was halfway between a laugh and a sob. “Look, I can’t explain any more. But we’re coming to America. You have to help us!”

Frantically, I nodded. “I will!”

It was only after the screen went blank that I realized Izzy hadn’t mentioned how many members of the former Coven would be coming with her. I bit my lip, thinking. Even without Roy and Samuel, the group would have been seven adult Witches, not counting Izzy. I wondered just how many people my parents would allow to stay here while we figured things out. Sitting back in my chair, shaken from my nightmare and Izzy’s revelations, I struggled to think of a plan. Somehow, I couldn’t escape the nagging sensation that everything was my fault.

I had thought the bonds of a Coven were unbreakable. Wouldn’t the group use magic to seal their commitment to each other? How, then, had Roy and Samuel been able to attack the rest of the group?
And why?
I shuddered, remembering Samuel’s hawk-like stare.

But bonds can be broken
, a voice whispered in my mind.
Look at me and Rochelle.

I shook my head, denying the similarity, but it was true. Rochelle had sworn to the Black path, but she’d somehow broken her vow to become a Red Witch. And then there was me, the girl who broke her bonds with her patron. No one I had ever met had done that before, and even Marcus had seemed frightened of my inability to keep a promise.

With a start, the images from my dream came flooding back, and I remembered Marcus pushing me into the pit. What if I’d been attacked in my dream at the same time Marcus’s father and his uncle attacked Izzy and the Coven? I shuddered, piecing together the dream, but then I frowned in frustration. I wouldn’t really know anything until Izzy and the others showed up.

“Marcus, what are you doing?” I whispered to my empty room.

A door slammed in the hallway, and I jumped.

“If you’re really there, you better come up with a better way to communicate, fast! The slamming and crazy dreams are getting old.” I tried to sound fierce, but the hairs on the back of my neck were standing up, and I was scared. Really scared.

I thought I heard a harsh chuckle, but it was gone in an instant. Bleary-eyed, I stumbled down to the kitchen to make some coffee and warn my parents to expect houseguests.

Mom was already up when I staggered into the kitchen. Even though she usually drank tea, she was leaning against the counter, clutching the coffeepot as if it were a life preserver.

“Bad night?” I asked, unnecessarily.

She nodded. “Nightmares. You?” She poured me a cup, and I took it gratefully.

“More stuff about the world ending. I got a message from Izzy.”

Mom sat down at the table. “In your dream?”

I pulled myself up on the counter, carefully clutching my mug. “Nope. On the computer.”

Mom sighed. “What’s wrong?”

I took a gulp, burning the back of my throat. “Could a few people stay here? I mean, could we keep them safe?”

She stared at me for a long moment. “You mean, could we serve as a kind of sanctuary?”

Her words recalled the novel I’d been forced to read just before getting kicked out of Trinity, and I giggled. She glared at me, and I tried to explain. “I’m sorry. They made us read
Hunchback
at Trinity. I was just thinking of when he claims sanctuary in his own home.”

Mom rolled her eyes. “You didn’t answer my question, Lena.”

I sighed. “Yes. Izzy and the Coven need sanctuary.”

“From what?”

I fiddled with the leg of my pajamas. “Two of their former members attacked them. That’s all I know.” I didn’t add that Roy and Samuel were related to Izzy; that would make them look even worse in Mom’s eyes.

She pressed her fingers against her temples and shut her eyes. “How many?”

I shrugged, taking another long swallow of coffee. “Izzy didn’t say. Not more than seven.”

“Seven people? You want us to open our home to seven strangers?”

“Not strangers! You know Izzy.”

Mom exhaled quickly. “But what do I know about the rest of this … Coven?” She paused before she said the word, as if she couldn’t quite accept the idea of a group of Witches working together. What was it about these people and their prejudices? First Justin, now Mom.

“Dr. Farren is a White,” I began, starting with a path that Mom would understand. “Her patron is Hera, and she helped me and Izzy a lot when I was in Scotland.”

Mom nodded. “You’ve mentioned her. Who else?”

I paused. “I don’t really know the rest of the group very well.” Besides, I didn’t know who survived the attack. “But they’re like family to Izzy, so that’s something, right?”

She took a drink, and I did the same. “Have you decided what to do about your dad’s request?”

I stared at her, surprised that she was changing the subject. She still hadn’t said if the Coven could stay or not, but I didn’t want to press her. Gathering my thoughts, I took a moment before answering. “Justin and I talked last night. His patron suggested that I should teach what I know.”

“How would you go about doing that?”

“Well,” I began thoughtfully, “now that the Coven is coming, there will be Witches who know more about the other paths. Maybe they can help me teach about Blue and Yellow magic.”