Triumph of Chaos (Red Magic) (9 page)

“It doesn’t matter. He should see that this is the only way to make a difference.”

“What’s the only way?” Justin strolled up the driveway, his hands in his pockets. I glared at him, still fuming.

“Where did you come from?” I snapped.

“Lena, chill. I was coming over to see you guys.” He glanced at Izzy. “What happened?”

“We told her dad about the Coven idea.”

Justin frowned. “Want me to talk to him?”

Although it should have thrilled me that Justin was willing to get into it with my dad for me, I felt incensed. “When did I say I needed to be rescued?”

He held up his hands, surprised. “Calm down. I thought I was helping you.” He looked hurt, and I struggled to get a grip on my emotions.

“You can help. You can be in the Coven.” Izzy smiled at him. “We need another White.”

He shifted his attention away from me, and I took a few deep breaths, trying to get my strange anger under control.

“Who’s the other White you’ve got?” he asked Izzy.

She winked. “Well, right now, it’s just you. But Dr. Farren is White, and I’m sure she’ll help us.”

Justin glanced at me, and I managed a weak smile. “I’m sorry. My dad just made me really mad.”

He nodded. “I get it. What would it mean for me to join your Coven?”

Izzy and I looked at each other. “Um,” she began. “Well,” I said at the same time.

Justin burst out laughing, and my frustration dissolved. “You guys really don’t have a plan, do you?”

“Look, your patron’s the one who said the Coven would be a good idea. We’re winging it!”

He nodded, his brow scrunched in thought. “Well, for starters, there would need to be an oath.” His eyes met mine. “For a group to work together, they would need some kind of common purpose and some kind of promise.”

Izzy snorted. “Common purpose is easy. ‘Help us save the world from the crazy gods.’”

Justin grinned at her. “Sounds simple.”

“What kind of oath? Like a patron oath?” I asked, remembering my melodramatic dedicancy to Aphrodite. I shivered as I suddenly recalled the words of my broken vow: M
ay I never rest if I break this trust with word or intent.
I glanced up at the sky nervously. I hadn’t intended to break my vow to her, but when I had, I didn’t do anything to fix it. Would things be any different now if she were still my patron? Or would I still be just as screwed?

Izzy pulled me out of my reverie. “Not that binding, but something we could say to vow that we won’t turn against each other. Something to make it safe for us to band together as a group.”

She and Justin kept talking, but I was thinking about the vow I’d made so long ago. Aphrodite and I had parted on good terms, I guess, but I had to wonder: would a goddess ever forgive a Witch for breaking that kind of promise? I was vaguely aware of the plans Justin and Izzy were laying out, but I didn’t contribute. I was too busy worrying about the past.

That night, I decided to try to contact Aphrodite. While Izzy was occupied explaining the Coven idea to Mom, Dr. Farren, and Lorna, I grabbed my backpack and climbed down the tree outside my window. Even though I’d learned that a Witch could contact just about any god she wanted anywhere in America, I didn’t think it would hurt to call Aphrodite with a little back-up, and the park near my house would be the perfect place to suck up to the goddess of love: it was a prime make-out spot, as I knew from shameful experience. Gingerly, I probed the memory of the night Justin and I broke up.

We’d been there, in that park. I’d glamoured myself in an attempt to seduce him, but no matter what I did, Justin didn’t want to have sex. At the time, it had incensed me. When we got back together as a result of a love spell, I could have pushed the relationship in that direction, but something held me back.
When I do finally find a boy who wants me like that
, I promised myself as I looked up at the trees,
I won’t use magic. I want to make sure it’s real
.

The sounds of couples kissing and cuddling drifted through the night air, and I sat down beneath an old oak tree, trying not to feel voyeuristic. I pulled the fractured mirror out of my bag and stared at the pieces. Aphrodite had given me that mirror when I dedicated to her, and when I was running around Europe with Marcus last winter, it had shattered. At the time, I’d assumed it simply broke in my bag from me being careless, but now I wasn’t so sure. What if the broken glass meant something? I swallowed nervously.

I’d also brought a red candle, which I set on the ground in front of me. I closed my eyes and concentrated on fire, and after a minute, the candle sparked to life. I grinned: I had never tried to do something so precise before, and it was a thrill to use even that small burst of Red energy.
Maybe I am getting better at all this.

“Aphrodite,” I whispered, staring at the flame, “I have need of you.”

Silence filled the park. Even the sounds of the teenagers under the trees stopped for an instant, and I held my breath.
Gods, will this even work?

After a moment, the goddess shimmered into existence in front of me, and I stood up quickly, bowing my head.

“I didn’t think you’d come!” My throat tightened, and I realized that despite it all, I’d sort of missed her.

She glared at me. “I’m not here because you summoned me, girl. I come bearing a message.”

Her tone was frosty and her eyes were hard. I took a careful step back and felt the rough bark of the tree press into my spine. “Who’s the message from?”

She laughed, smoothing her hands over her hips in a familiar gesture. “Who do you think? My brethren. We decided to give you fair warning.”

My heart thumped loudly. “We?”
Gods, I hope she doesn’t mean what I think she means.

“Darlena, surely you aren’t that foolish? The alliance of Reds. We’ve decided to reveal a bit of our plan.”

I felt numb, and she laughed again at my expression.

“Oh, yes, I’m the enemy now. I thought you figured that out already: none spurn me without consequence.” Her words were heavy, and if I hadn’t already been backed against the tree, I would have tried to move away.

As it was, I was suddenly feeling more and more trapped. “I didn’t mean to break my vow.”

“That doesn’t change the fact that you did.” She waved her hand dismissively, and I shut my eyes, waiting for something to happen. After a moment, I opened one eye, then the other. The goddess hadn’t incinerated me. I flexed my fingers, wondering if it was too late to run, and Aphrodite snarled at me. “I grow weary of this conversation. Listen close, for I will only speak the message once.”

I stared at her nervously. “I’m listening.”

“We will remake the world in fire and blood. Cities will fall, madness will descend, and you are powerless to stop it.”

“That doesn’t sound like a warning, just a threat.”
No point wasting time being polite,
I thought.
If she’s going to kill me, I’m already dead meat.

Her eyes glistened as she read my thoughts. “Your warning is this: for each act of chaos that you stand against, one of your circle will be lost.”

Confused, I shook my head. “I don’t have a circle.”

She smiled wickedly. “Not yet. But you and the little Blue are forming one, are you not?”

Realization crept over me, and I stared at her in surprise. “You mean the Coven?”

She nodded. “For every disaster you avert, you send one of your followers to her death.”

I shivered. “You’ll kill people just for helping me? Why don’t you just kill me and get it over with?”

Her lips curved up in a cruel smile. “Oh, we will. But we’re saving you for the end. You won’t die until the entire world succumbs to chaos. Then, perhaps, you’ll see how futile your attempts at balance have been.”

My stomach churned, but I forced myself to meet the goddess’s eyes. “Why would you align yourself with them? Just because I broke my vow?”

Her eyes narrowed. “I am always on the winning side, one way or another.”

“But weren’t you the one who wanted to convince me that there’s more to chaos than death and destruction?”

Aphrodite snarled. “The next time we meet, you had better find some form of protection.” Her features relaxed slightly, and she held out her hand and looked at it, as if examining her manicure. “There are a myriad of things that I would like to do to you.”

I straightened my shoulders and glared at her. “You won’t get the chance. Tell your friends that it doesn’t matter what they say they’re going to do. I won’t stop fighting for balance.”

She smiled. “I shall enjoy watching you suffer, then. Choose your circle carefully, Darlena. Remember: everyone you pick must be someone you are willing to sacrifice.”

My anger bubbled over. “You wouldn’t hurt them. I’m the one you want!” But the goddess had already vanished into the night.

My candle snuffed itself out, and I stared at the broken shards of the mirror. I had kept it because I still trusted Aphrodite but not any longer. Hurriedly, I scratched at the earth with my hands, not caring that the dirt caked under my fingernails. I dug a small hole, and then I shoved the pieces of the mirror into it, covering the shards with dirt and leaves. When I was done, my anger left me in a rush, and suddenly I was shaking with fear.

The gods are bluffing
, I told myself as I walked home.
Joining together in a Coven will strengthen us
. But a seed of doubt had taken root, and by the time I got home, I didn’t know what I believed anymore.

Mom came rushing down the walk when I approached. I waited for her to berate me or ask where I’d been. Instead, she folded me into a tight hug.

“It’s starting,” she whispered.

“What is?” Confused, I stared at her. Had someone in our group already died?
But we haven’t even formed a Coven yet.

“There was an earthquake in Turkey at almost exactly the same moment a bomb went off in the London Underground. And a volcano erupted in Greece. The death toll is already in the thousands.” Her eyes glistened with tears.

I stared at her, dumbfounded. Aphrodite hadn’t been a messenger, I suddenly realized. She’d been a decoy. I clenched my fists, ready to explode, but then Mom touched my cheek with her hand, turning my eyes to hers. Gods, she looked frightened! I took a deep breath.

“It’s not the end of the world,” I said with false lightness, trying to make her smile.

Tearfully, she shook her head. “It’s starting,” she said again.

I swallowed. She was right. “Then it’s time for us to act.”

Mom hesitated. “Your father doesn’t like it.”

“I know. But will he help us anyway?”

She looked back at the house. “Let me go talk to him.”

“Mom.” I caught her hand as she turned to go. “We need both of you. If he won’t do it, you don’t have to, either.”

She nodded. “I want to help. But you’re right. You need two Greens. I’ll see what I can do.”

“Where’s Izzy and everyone else?”

“Inside.”

I thought for a minute. Now that I’d decided to act, I didn’t want to waste another second. “Can we use the fire pit?”

She nodded. “I’ll send them out back.”

“And you and Dad will come too?” I asked hopefully.

Mom sighed. “I’ll do what I can,” she repeated, her eyes brimming with tears.

I hugged her. “That’s all I can ask.”

She went back in the house, and I pulled out my phone. After sending a quick text to Justin, I headed to the backyard to start a fire. It was too hot to need it, but I felt stronger when I had fire nearby.
Hopefully,
I thought,
I’ll be even stronger soon
.
Hopefully, by the end of the night, I’ll have a Coven to help me stand against the Red gods.
Aphrodite’s warning faded from my mind as I concentrated on the growing flame and the sense of strength that filled me the longer I stood there.

It didn’t take long until I had a bright fire burning in the old fire pit. Izzy joined me first, giving me a big hug before settling down on the ground beside the leaping flames. I dragged the old lawn chairs over and arranged them in a circle around the fire. There were five chairs altogether, and in the back of my mind I felt a warning that only five of us would be coming, but I pushed that thought aside. Surely my dad couldn’t ignore what was happening in his own backyard, could he?