Authors: Suzi Davis
“That actually does sound like a good idea. Gracelynn… do you mind?” Sebastian asked hesitantly.
“No, of course not. Maybe I’ll help cook,” I added. Mags frowned and for a second Sebastian looked like he was about to smile. He knew the chances of me cooking anything even remotely edible were slim-to-none.
He took his bag with him into the bathroom and minutes later we heard the shower turn on. It wasn’t until we were both certain he was out of ear-shot that Mags and I began talking.
“How much of Caoilinn’s life do you remember?” Mags waited impatiently for my answer, her green eyes hard, her lips pressed together tightly as she tapped one of her chipped, black fingernails against the countertop.
“Not much,” I admitted. “But it’s slowly coming back to me.”
She nodded, her expression turning thoughtful. “Sebastian told me about how you killed one of the Others’ latest recruits. Did you know he thinks Caoilinn is still alive inside of you?” She didn’t wait for my response. “He thinks it might have been her, not you, who killed Walter.”
“He’s wrong.” My voice came out chillingly cold. I met Mags’ piercing gaze with one of my own. She looked away almost immediately.
“He said he spoke to her, after it happened. That she spoke through you…?”
I didn’t answer. I felt angry and hurt that Sebastian had shared so much with Mags, that he had described to her that shameful moment that haunted and tormented me still.
“If Caoilinn is still such a strong part of who you are, how can I trust you? I’d have to be as crazy as Sebastian and I assure you, I’m not. If Caoilinn’s still alive within you somewhere and able to control your actions, how can we trust anything you do or say?”
“You can’t,” I stated flatly. She had asked the very question that I had been asking myself constantly since I awoke. How could I be trusted?
“Well, at least we agree on one thing,” Mags muttered, shaking her head as she began to take plates and cups out of the cupboards.
“And how do you know so much about the Others? How do we know that we can trust you?” I demanded.
Mags spun back around with a smirk on her face. “Sebastian can always trust me, because I’m his wife.
You
should probably watch your back.” There was an undercurrent behind her teasing words that made me defensive.
“And I know about the Others because I thought it would be in the best interest of both Sebastian and myself, if I kept an eye on them while I was looking for my husband and awaiting his return. Prudent, don’t you think?”
I ignored her smug expression and stood up, stretching my sore back and tense shoulders as I did so.
“So tell me what you know.” I began folding both mine and Sebastian’s blankets while I waited for her to begin. After several long and stubborn minutes, Mags began speaking.
“Sebastian is more powerful than any of the Others, including myself. Still, he needed my help to erase the Others’ memories of us. Some of them had been our companions for hundreds of years, they depended upon us for our guidance and for our companionship – we were a family. We could only erase their memories one by one. It was a difficult task but Sebastian’s happiness was worth it, only, he wasn’t happy. There was something bothering him still, sucking him down into this deep pit of depression and madness.”
Mags glared at me accusingly before continuing. “I awoke one morning and he was gone. I wanted to find him but his magic overpowered my own and he remained hidden. I could still remember him and since I knew eventually he’d come back to me, I decided I should make preparations for when he did.
“I kept an eye on the Others and watched their movements with interest. While Sebastian and I had made them forget us, their creators, we hadn’t thought to erase their memories of you, Caoilinn. They knew there was a soul out there somewhere who possessed unheard of knowledge and control of the Lost Magic, and they remembered the legend that this ancient Priestess would be searching for her lost love. They knew it was in their best interests to keep you and “your love” apart - at all costs. I watched as they added another, from the original damned twelve to the current thirteen, and they began searching–”
“Don’t you mean twelve?” I interrupted as the image of Walter’s lifeless body and glazed-over eyes flashed through my mind.
“No, thirteen. The one you killed had only recently joined their ranks. I had heard rumors but wasn’t going to count him in their numbers until I confirmed his existence myself. It was the first time they had increased their numbers over thirteen or initiated one as old as he was rumored to be. It takes a great deal of power to awaken the Lost Magic within another – we had thought only Sebastian and yourself were powerful enough to do so but apparently the Others were able to combine their abilities to add to their numbers after we left them. This Walter must have done something truly valuable for The Order to go to the trouble...”
“He found Sebastian and he nearly killed him. He kept an eye on me and he ensured my mother kept me and Sebastian apart,” I told her quietly. I moved closer to the kitchen, taking a seat on one of the stools on the living room side of the counter.
“That would do it.” Mags angrily cracked an egg into the frying pan she’d been heating up and then swore loudly as tiny pieces of the shell were mixed in with the runny whites.
I hesitated before asking my next question aloud. “How was Sebastian able to create so many of the Others?” Mags stared back at me blankly, forcing me to continue. I swallowed down my irritation along with my pride – I needed to know. “Caoilinn thought an intimate connection was necessary to give Seamus the ability to control the Lost Magic…”
“The better you know someone, the easier it is to give them access to the Lost Magic. To give as much magic as you gave to Sebastian you would need to know them very ‘intimately’.” She suddenly smirked. “But don’t you worry, he may have had close friendships with all of the Others, but he was never so close to them as he was to me. That’s why I’m almost as powerful as Sebastian.”
I had guessed as much but to hear her confirm it… I fought the sudden violent urge to hit her in the face. My gut twisted painfully as I struggled to control my emotions. I tried to focus on the facts at hand and quickly changed the subject.
“So what is ‘The Order’?”
“It’s the society that the Others formed after Sebastian and I left. There are seven hidden temples of The Order set up around the world. They use civilians like Walter and offer them promises of eternal life and limitless powers if they obey and serve them; it’s your typical cult organization. They have connections everywhere.”
“But… why? Can’t they get whatever they want anyway?”
“They couldn’t find you, Caoilinn,” Mags pointed out. “They had their suspicions about you before they could remember Sebastian but there were other young women they were watching too. Somehow, your magic was still protecting you even before you reawakened it. Then once Sebastian started wanting to know if there were other people like him, the Others’ memories began to slowly return. They weren’t immediately certain, so they were merely keeping an eye on you and Sebastian. Once you made him remember everything, the mental blocks Sebastian and I had put in place were shattered. The Others remembered everything too and they started coming after you both immediately. I wanted to follow them but something kept redirecting me back to Berlin.”
I frowned, distracted. There was something about what Mags had said that just didn’t sit right. I couldn’t quite put my finger on what it was.
The apartment was suddenly very quiet aside from the sizzling of the eggs cooking in the pan and the steam rising from the coffee maker. The sound of the shower had turned off and an eerie silence hung in the air along with the strong scent of coffee. Mags leaned over the counter towards me, her green eyes flashing suspiciously. She lowered her voice, ensuring that only I would hear what she was about to say.
“The main temple of The Order is in Greece, I know exactly where it is and I will take you there. I’ll help to overpower the Others and bring an end to their existence – I’ll slit all their throats myself if I have to. But just know, I’ll be watching you too and if you so much as make one move that I think threatens Sebastian or I…”
She held my gaze steadily, the threat clear and bright in her eyes. To both of our surprise, I smiled. Mags straightened up, leaning away from me uneasily.
“I will never be a danger to Sebastian - you don’t have to worry about that. But
you
should probably watch your back,” I added. Mags didn’t smile back, she looked pissed off and also, just a little less sure of herself. I didn’t know why I was antagonizing her when I knew that I needed her help… it was so hard not to hate her.
The bathroom door opened and Sebastian stepped out, his hair damp and tousled, his clothes fresh and clean. He smiled a little uncertainly, first at me and then at Mags.
“Everything alright?” he asked, looking back and forth between us.
“Fine,” we answered together in tight, flat voices.
“I’m going to have a shower now,” I announced. I didn’t really want to leave Mags and Sebastian alone again but I desperately wanted to escape from the room.
I grabbed some clothes from my own bag and then headed towards the bathroom door. Sebastian hadn’t moved and stood blocking my way, watching me with his sad, ancient eyes.
“Did Mags tell you what the plan is?”
I nodded, only briefly meeting his gaze. It was too hard to be standing this close to him but to feel so infinitely far apart. He moved closer, angling his body away from Mags and leaning down towards my ear. I nervously held my breath.
“I know you don’t want to talk to me but if you’ll just listen... I owe you an explanation. There’s so much I wanted to say to you yesterday but you didn’t give me the chance. You didn’t want to hear me,” he said in a low voice, only meant for me.
The urge to escape became even stronger. I wasn’t certain I was strong enough to deny him. “We’ll talk later,” I hurriedly agreed, side-stepping around him. I glanced at him quickly and was surprised to see he looked as relieved to postpone the conversation as I felt. He nodded his agreement. He still looked sad; there was a new heaviness to his eyes.
“Enjoy your shower,” he said politely, though it sounded forced.
“Enjoy your breakfast,” I answered just as quickly. I made an effort not to slam the door behind me as I rushed into the sanctity of the bathroom and away from the love of my life – of my existence, whom I feared I may have lost forever.
Chapter Twelve – A New Design
Just like Mags had wanted, we were on a train by noon and headed south out of Berlin towards Germany’s border. The cost of our passes had been much more expensive than I expected – over $1,500 for the three of us. I was glad my father had provided us with the funds necessary for this trip but I tried not to let my thoughts linger on why he had suddenly become so helpful; the guilt and shame was even worse than before.
We would be passing through six countries and traveling for a total of three and a half days before we reached Thessaloniki, Greece. We all wanted to get to Greece as quickly as possible and this ensured the convenience of direct routes and quick transfers when necessary. I still couldn’t understand why we weren’t just flying directly to Greece and when I voiced this question aloud, Mags met my curious gaze with a withering glare.
“The Order is meeting in two weeks time to discuss what to do about you and Sebastian – the
whole
of The Order will be there. There will be some discussion but it is obvious that they will primarily convene to combine their wants and their magic to stop you both. The ceremony will be performed on the night of the full moon. There will only be a few members of The Order, six at the very most, who would be near the temple already. They will want to find us before then and will be watching the airports. But our magic should be strong enough to confuse them - as long as we all want the same thing,” she added with a brief sneer in my direction.
“Stop it, Mags,” Sebastian warned, tiredly. “Gracelynn is with us on this.”
I pressed my lips together firmly, biting the words that were fighting to spring to life on my lips. What had he meant by that? Did he doubt I was “with them” on everything then? I immediately felt angry and hurt but Mags allowed me no time to recover.
“There are too many trains in Greece for the Others to watch them all and as long as we don’t want them to find us, they shouldn’t. We should have just enough time after we arrive to deal with the first five before the rest start trickling in. They’re coming from all over the world – some may not arrive until days before the ceremony but others will begin to appear immediately.”
“It doesn’t give us much time,” I pointed out.
“If you have a better plan, Caoilinn, I’m dying to hear it,” Mags snapped.
“My name is Grace.”
“Whatever.”
We glared at each other for several long seconds. I was starting to really, really dislike Mags and it was becoming increasingly difficult to remember why I shouldn’t.
Sebastian didn’t seem to notice the tension between me and Mags. He stared out the window of our small private compartment on the train, his own inner demons weighing down his handsome face. When we had boarded the train, Mags had immediately (and possessively) taken the seat beside Sebastian. I almost wished she hadn’t, as now I would have to sit across from him for the next four and a half hours until we arrived in the Czech Republic. I turned my attention to the window, watching the landscape blur by in a daze as I tried my best not to look his way.