Fighting Destiny (Central Coven) (36 page)

I opened the door to my room, and walked leadenly toward my bed.  The pastiness of my complexion instantly put everyone on alert.  “What?” Finn asked excited and edgy.  “Tomorrow,” I said quietly with all of the strength I had left.

Anita nodded, understandingly.  She cleared her throat. “Well we should get some sleep then.  All right boys get out.  We’ll see you tomorrow.”  “I have something for you,” I said and reached into my drawer where I kept my amulets and potions.  I pulled out a wand, made out of shiny hematite, and on the top was a piece of smoky quartz. “I had this made for you,” I said, and handed it to her. 

She took it, and the crystal began to hum and glow.  A smile spread across her face.  “Cool! See Chloë, everything is going to be fine.  Thanks for this. I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve too.  Good night.”  She cocked her eyebrow, and flashed herself into her pa
jamas.  I had to hand it to her.  She was a fast learner.

Sometime after dawn, I exhaled, and felt my spirit leave my body.  I was searching for something, an answer to a question I couldn’t quite phrase.  I joined the fog that hung low and thick over the land. I stalked forward until I found a house with a glowing thread trailing out of the chimney.  I traveled down the chimney, just as smoke escaped out. 

Inside I found Simone braiding a lock of my mother’s hair into her own.  “Like mother, like daughter,” she said with each twist of hair.  She meant to use my mother’s power against me.  Then she pricked a sleeping Alexander, and added a drop of blood to her borrowed hair.  “Your blood will bind you to me, Anita,” she chanted.  I knew she was missing a part of the spell, earth, but I wasn’t about to help her with it. 

I felt my body inhale, and my spirit raced rapidly back into my body.  I didn’t know why this was my fight, but now I knew who could answer that question for me.  It was time to call my mother. 

I reached for my phone, still struggling to open my eyes, and gave a verbal command for it to call Marguerite.  “Chloë, I never imagined you would be awake this early,” Marguerite said, not hiding her surprise.  “I don’t have time for pleasantries this time mother.  Why does Simone have a lock of your hair?  How did she get it in the first place?” I demanded.

“Hmm, I was wondering how she was planning on confronting you head on.  Well, I suppose she must have gotten my hair about two hundred years ago, when she first came to our attention.  At that time she was trying to enslave vampires, much like today, but then she was going after the
Council
directly.  As the head of the
Council
, I had her arrested and imprisoned for fifty years.  After I announced her sentence, I mistakenly turned my back to leave, and she leapt out at me and ripped out a curl of my hair. 

I looked for it, but as head of the
Council
I was so concerned with cleaning up the rest of the mess she left, I was soon distracted away from it.  And, honestly, I didn’t think she had the talent or the skill to ever use the hair against me.  It seems she is after the future of the
Council
now.  I’m sorry I never followed up on this.  I doubt you will make the same error, and
that
my daughter is why you are destined to take my seat and lead the
Council
.”

“You know the fight is tonight.” I told her.  “I suspected as much.  I suppose your father had a vision.  Such a marvelously talented man.  How is he anyway?” Marguerite inquired.  “Mother focus please.  You and Eli can continue your centuries old bizarre love obsession after this is over.  He is fine, okay.  Now, can we concentrate on my problem?  What am I supposed to do?”

“It just so happens, when I was unable to retrieve the lock of my hair I took some of hers in case she ever tried to use mine in a spell.  I might have been careless, but I am not stupid.  I don’t know why she would forget I have her hair, but I will transport it to you.  Now you are two thirds of the way to having your binding spell.  Good luck Chloë.”  “Bye mother.”

I hung up the phone and retrieved my antique wooden box from a drawer under my bed.  Just as I suspected my mother transported the lock of hair into it. It was the same box I kept amulets and charms. The lock of hair was perfectly preserved in specially treated and charmed linen.  The crimson colored curl shined as if it was cut this morning. 

I tried to go back to sleep, but it was no use.  My thoughts kept swirling.  When was I going to get in touch with my father?  How was I going to get the blood?  Who’s blood did I need?  What was I going to do with everything once I had it?

With great effort I managed to shut my eyes, and fall asleep for a few more hours.  At nine o’clock, I saw the cool rays of the winter sun shining through the curtains.  I heard Anita thrashing around in her covers fighting a nightmare.  “Ehhh!” She squealed as she bolted straight upright in bed ready to brawl an unseen attacker.  “Just a dream,” she muttered to herself.

“Rough night?” I asked.  “Ugh, the worst. How about you?” “ ‘Bout the same.  I think I went on a spirit walk.  I learned that Simone has my mother’s hair braided into her own.  That’s why she has the confidence and the ability to come after us.  She wants to come after me because my mother arrested her for attacking the
Council
about two hundred years ago.  I wish my father were here already.  I hate not having the other two parts of the binding spell,” I complained.

“Wait, did you say the other two parts, when did we get the first part?” Anita asked confused.  I rubbed my still tired eyes.  “Oh, yeah sorry I’m jumping around.  My mother lost a lock of her hair when Simone attacked her during her arrest two hundred years ago.  Marguerite couldn’t find it so she took a lock of Simone’s.  She teleported it to me this morning.  I think that gets you caught up.”

“Wow, you did all of that and I just had a nightmare about being married to Alexander, and wanting to serve every wish of Simone.  It was super creepy.  First I turned on you, and while she killed Finn, Alexander made me kill Dean.  I couldn’t stop.  What could make me do that?” 

“I think I know,” I began to answer hesitantly. “She took some of Alexander’s blood this morning, and mixed it into the lock of hair she took from my mother.  Then she braided the entire thing into her own hair.  I would have to ask Grey to be certain, but I would guess, that since Alexander changed you, yours and his blood are linked.  Remember when Grey said that we could use his and your blood to bind Alexander, it is the same concept.  That is how she is ‘marrying’ the two of you together.  She is going to try and gain control of you that way.”

“Great, just fantastic!” Anita seethed.  “Actually, it is,” I said with a smile growing across my face.  “You are really weird right now, do you know that?” Anita accused.  “You won’t think that when I explain,” I said with my eyebrow raised in typical mischievous fashion.  “Okay, spit it out then.”

“Well, we need your blood to bind Alexander.  If she wants yours to control you, we need yours to bind him.  Grey’s too, since he made Alexander. Because I know what she is planning I can create an amulet to ward off her spell.”  “You are right.  I don’t think you’re weird.  I think you are brilliant.”  “It is still so early though. Grey won’t be up for hours.  I don’t know why I’m somewhat surprised she plans on killing us. We are all destined to be so strong. The only time we can be defeated is now before we gain our full powers.  We aren’t immortal until we do.”

Eli Soaring Eagle’s voice boomed inside our room. “Try not to worry too much Chloë, you have all gained so many powers so quickly all four of you have regenerative abilities most humans don’t have.  As for Grey, we’ll speak to him later. We have a lot to do before he wakes up anyway.”  He started to appear first as insubstantial as smoke solidifying until he was himself.  Anita and I jumped backward, practically on the table.  You would think we would be used to magical appearances, but we were extremely on edge.

“Hello father, you scared the hell out of me,” I said, trying to hold my heart inside my chest. “I’m sorry. I had to go and gather the four elemental powers of the earth.  When we balance fire, air, and water with earth it will complete the circle and seal the binding of her powers.  For fire I brought newly formed basalt from Mount
Kilauea.  Air is represented by a quartz crystal, because of its purity and transparency.  The vibrant blue of turquoise represents water.  Finally, I have soil brought from my birthplace, near where the land bridge was in Alaska.”

“What do we do with the hair and the blood?” I asked.  “I have put the soil into an ancient clay pot.  On top of the soil we will place the lock of hair, and then drop the blood onto it.  It will be set into place at the last moment.  Once everything is in position, it will be set in the circle, and her powers will be sealed into the earth.” 

I began to pace the room.  I felt like I was breathing into a paper bag.  There was only so much oxygen available, and I was using it all up, everything was getting smaller, and smaller.  My clothes were starting to cling to me.  I tried to pull the neck of my shirt away from my skin, but it only seemed to make it feel tighter.  I shifted in my shoes, but my feet felt cramped. I took one stifled breath in, and blurted out, “I’m going for a walk.”  I grabbed my warmest coat, and headed for the door.

I turned right from my door and walked straight into Finn.  “I was just coming to see you,” he said trying not to laugh.  “How convenient.  You found me,” I said grinning.  “I was just heading out for a walk, wanna come?”  “Sure, let me grab my coat,” he answered.

We walked around the picturesque creek, oddly called the “Ganges” by students.  We enjoyed the peace provided by some ducks, and a couple of frolicking muskrats, before we discussed anything serious.

“I heard your dad’s voice, so I knew you were awake,” Finn said, breaking the silence. I slipped my arm through his, and tucked my head into his chest.  “I wish we didn’t have to do any of this.”  “Me too,” he said.  Then he kissed the top of my head. 

“I wish I could make everything better for you,” he said into my hair.  “Be careful. Survive this fight and you will take a lot of stress off of me,” I whispered into his coat.  “I will only put myself in danger to save you.  That is the best promise I can make you.”

I gave him a weak smile and pulled away slightly, only leaving my arm through his.  Finn stiffened.  I reminded myself that when I let my guard down around him, one of us usually got hurt.  I didn’t want that to happen again, no matter what happened with Grey.  I couldn’t keep stringing both of them along.  It was never my intention, but it kept happening nonetheless. 

I had to remember there were reasons Finn and I broke up in the first place.  Even though standing next to his rippling, lean muscled body, and staring into his electric blue eyes still sent a tingle of electricity racing down my spine, I had to pull away.  We had hurt each other too much too many times. I didn’t want to hurt him now, when he was laying his heart out there so plainly. 

We wasted time most of the day, walking, talking, stopping for coffee, and grabbing a burger at a drive through only place with the best burgers.  Then the sun began to dip below the foothills, setting the skyline on fire with reds, oranges and purples.  The already cold air dropped to a more frigid chill.  We looked at each other solemnly and nodded in agreement.  It was time to return to the dorm.

When we got to my room, no one commented about our prolonged absence.  Everyone had something else on their minds.  I opened my wardrobe and reached into the back for a shopping bag I had placed in there the week before.  Inside were sets of expensive, high-tech long underwear, which I bought for everyone, except for Grey (since he is impervious to the cold).  I passed them out, and the men went to their rooms to go change.  Anita and I went to the bathroom, so that my father could use our room in private. 

Sliding into the tight fitting, black, high tech material made me feel as if I was slipping on armor for battle.  My mind was preparing to do what ever was necessary.
I purchased black wool sweaters, black cargo pants, and dark hiking boots for everyone.  We all broke in our boots before tonight. 

I wanted to cut down on every advantage that Alexander was going to have.  The less visible we were, the less was his gain.  I put my waist length hair into a braid. Then I finished off with an amulet for protection around my neck.

I turned the corner from the dressing area to the mirrors, and bumped shoulders with Anita. “Are you ready?” she asked.  I shrugged, “I guess.” I could feel butterflies fluttering in my stomach.  “We will make it through tonight, and then we will get junk food, watch sappy chick flicks, and figure out the rest of the stuff that is bothering you,” Anita assured me.  I smiled and nodded.  “Alright then, lets go lead a witch into a trap.” I said and my eyes flashed green with a surge of power.

Eventually, every CWU student discovers the waterfall out on the Manashtash trail.  It is a bit of a hike to get to.  There are makeshift log bridges, mud, and stinging nettles, but climbing into the bowl shaped opening makes the journey worthwhile.  We found it a bit early, because of Dean’s need to roam the wilderness.  He did a bit of scouting, while on four legs, and found the perfect location for a trap.

Earlier in the day Finn and I realized Simone and Alexander were going to come and look for us.  We knew it was coming today.  We weren’t sure what time, except it would almost certainly happen after dark.  We decided we could control where we were when they found us.  The idea of setting a trap was formed.