Authors: Brenda Drake
“Fey can’t conjure wizard charms.”
“Charms are my specialty.”
“You added to it,” Sinead said.
“How did you know?”
“I’ve heard it spoken before.”
“Oh. Well, not only did I lock the door, but I also made it so only Merl can open it. Professor Attwood taught me how to change up spells.”
“Good thinking.” Arik smiled. “Who’s this Sean?”
“Carrig’s changeling. I think their minds were weaved together or something.”
“That would explain how Sean knew things about Carrig,” he said. “A wizard must have done it, then compelled Sean. The wizard could then see and hear everything Sean did. Carrig was trained to resist this process. That must be why whoever it was used his changeling.”
“If their brains were weaved together, how come Sean didn’t recognize you, Sinead, or your glamour in front of Nana’s house?”
“Because glamour is a magic and a wizard can’t weave someone else’s memory of it to another brain.”
“Well, that’s scary,” I said. “Anyone could be a spy and we wouldn’t know it.”
“Not all the memories from the compelled transfer to the one compelling.” Arik’s eyes went to Sean. “If you pay attention, you can spot a slip up.”
“Let’s move. We have to get help.” Sinead headed toward the stairs.
I formed a globe and held it high, its light surrounding us.
“Thanks.” Sinead went through the trap door and skipped down the steps.
“No problem.” I peeked back at Sean. He gave me a nervous smile as he clambered down after us.
“What happened back there?” I asked Arik.
“Veronique ambushed us on our way to Merl. I’m not sure if she’s acting alone, but if she isn’t, it won’t fare well for Asile. Thank goodness, she didn’t see Faith escape down a hall. Our only hope is for Faith to alert Merl or Professor Attwood about Veronique’s attack before she can do whatever evil deed she’s planning.”
My thoughts flew to Nana. I prayed she’d be safe.
“We have to find the other Sentinels.” Arik said, then turned to Sean. “Where are you from?”
“Galway,” answered Sean.
“We’ll take you to the Trinity College Library in Dublin. It’s the best I can do.”
“Anywhere ’tis better than here,” Sean said tightly.
We reached the end of the tunnel and climbed to the top of the stairwell. Thankfully, the library closed on Sundays, or we would’ve had to wait all day. Above us was the entry into Duke Humfrey’s Library.
Arik pulled a lever, and a bookcase slid open. We stepped up into the library, and the case trembled back over the opening. “Sean, sit there.” Arik pointed to a reading chair and turned to me. “We have to find the book.”
Each gateway volume had the same Dewey Decimal number attached to it, so no matter what library a jumper was in it was easy to locate.
“
Sei zero sette periodo zero due DOR
,” I recited the numbered charm to find the book. A row shook on a shelf of a tall bookcase against the wall, and the gateway book slipped away from the rest and floated over to us.
Sinead caught it, placed it on the table, and opened to a random page. She brought her hand up to her mouth and blew an air kiss across her palm. Several shimmery silver butterflies took shape and batted their wings as they hovered in front of her face. She spoke to the incandescent creatures in a language that sounded ancient, and they fluttered into the book. Their bodies and graceful wings melted into the pages, leaving behind a shimmery glow that faded within seconds.
“Okay, I give. What do the butterflies do?”
“They’re tracers.” She pulled me away from the table. “They can summon whoever I want from within the libraries. I’ve told them to retrieve the other Sentinels. We should keep back or they might land on us when they come out.”
My stomach knotted in anticipation. After several minutes had passed and they hadn’t shown up, I tried to distract myself.
“Exactly what are the Silent People?”
“The Silent People is another name for the fey. We move
silently
, stealth-like. We have some magical powers, and we’re the gardeners of the changelings.”
“Changelings?” Sean stood. “Aren’t they supposed to be deformed creatures switched for normal children, and such?”
Sinead glared at him. “Those were lies told by horrible parents disgusted by their less than perfect children. A human discovered our secret about changelings and spread tales about them. And besides, are you forgetting you are a changeling?”
“I am not.”
“All right, you two,” Arik said. “Stop it.”
Sean dropped back onto the chair.
“Sinead, did you say gardeners?” I asked.
“I did,” she said. “When a Sentinel is born, a cocoon grows in the Garden of Life. After ten days, the Sentinel’s changeling hatches as a fully developed infant. Inside the changeling’s cocoon is a colored bead that’s connected to the Sentinel gene inside the matching baby. It enables the parent faery to track down the baby. After we switch the two infants, the Sentinel becomes our responsibility. We raise them like our children. Our love for them is insurmountable.”
“So, who’s your Sentinel?” I knew the answer before I even asked.
“You are.” Sinead paced in front of the book on the table.
Anxiety turned in my stomach. Was she mad when my mother disappeared with me? If she knew about my precocious period, when all grownups were stupid and I knew everything, she’d be grateful for dodging that disaster. I didn’t know what to say.
“When I couldn’t find you,” she continued, “I wasn’t sure what to do. Carrig came to me when he heard about the unmatched changeling. He told me he was the father of the missing Sentinel and Marietta was the mother. I was terrified. We knew you were the one the seer presaged, so we decided to keep you a secret. We raised Deidre together. In time, Carrig and I fell in love, and Marietta became his past. As for you, he figured you were better off ignorant of this life.”
“Then you’re not mad at my mother for hiding me?”
“Oh, no.” A smile hinted in her voice. “She only wanted to protect you. I’d have done the same.”
“Oh. Crap. I almost forgot,” I said. “When I asked the globe what happened to Carrig, it showed me a black flag with a red flame in the middle.”
Sinead grabbed her throat.
“It’s the Esteril flag,” Arik said. “Conemar has him.”
“Conemar? That wizard from France? The one you said was behind the attacks on the havens?”
“Yes, him,” he said. “He was born with an evil soul. A wizard compelled his mother while she was pregnant with him. In the course of the act, the man died. When a wizard dies during a compulsion, his or her victim becomes insane. It is very costly for a wizard to compel someone. Their life spans diminish while casting the compulsion spell. Usually, it would’ve taken months for the wizard to run out of life at his young age, but it only took weeks. The baby drained the wizard’s life span at a faster rate than normal.”
I swallowed. Chills ran across my skin. I didn’t like this story. “Where is Conemar now?”
“He was exiled under the suspicion of murder. Esteril, the Russian haven, eagerly took him in. They hadn’t had a High Wizard since the sixteenth century due to a curse an enchantress, Athela, placed on the haven. It is believed she went crazy when her husband died.”
Yeah, I’d go crazy too if my father turned my husband’s corpse into a beast.
“Am I to rot here?” Sean adjusted in the chair. “All this talk be spooking me.”
Him and me both.
“You sit there and don’t say another word,” Sinead snapped. “When our friends come, we’ll get you back to Ireland. Until then, keep your mouth shut.”
“Jeez, give the guy a break. It’s not his fault he’s here.”
“I’m sorry.” Sinead exhaled. “I’m just worried about Carrig, and Sean reminds me of him.”
The book shuddered against the table and the tracer flew out, dissipating into a thousand glitters that floated to the ground. The pages of the book flipped, and when it stopped, Demos swirled out and landed on his feet on top of the table. He leaped effortlessly to the floor.
“You rang?” A crooked smile teased his lips and a naughty glint hinted in his eyes as he inspected my body. “Gia. I dare say, warrior gear suits you.”
Chapter Eighteen
M
y heart swelled as I watched Arik stride toward Demos. I’d promised myself to keep my distance, but I couldn’t help it. I took an anxious step toward him and stopped, remembering we had an audience. We’d just made it through something horrible together, and I wanted to hug him. He was so strong, fearless. But I turned away instead.
The grave look on Sinead’s face must’ve struck Demos, because his smile slipped when he saw her. “What’s happened?” He glanced at Sean. “Carrig, is something the matter?”
“That’s not Carrig,” Arik interrupted. “He’s his changeling. Conemar kidnapped Carrig and switched Sean with him. He weaved their minds together.”
“How?” Demos’s eyebrows pinched together as he studied Sean. “And how was he able to jump through the gateway book?”
“While their minds are weaved together, Sean receives Carrig’s memories and abilities,” Sinead said.
“Gia must perform a truth globe on you before we continue,” Arik said.
Demos agreed and after he had passed, we told him how my pink globe released Sean.
“I think it runs on my emotions,” I said. “It removes charms and spells.”
“I think that’s why Veronique attacked us,” Sinead said.
Demos’s eyes widened. “Veronique?”
She nodded. “Yes. I’m not certain, but she could be involved with the recent assaults on the Mystiks.”
Disappointment clouded Arik’s eyes. “I must contact Merl.”
Arik fished a thin rod from his pocket, which was actually two rods fashioned together. He pulled the ends apart and a blue glow kindled between them, creating a screen the size of an iPad. “Merlin Sagehill,” Arik spoke into it.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“It’s a window rod. It’s like a webcam, but powered by magic. It’s our only connection to Asile. The charms around Asile block cell phone reception.”
Several minutes passed.
I frowned at the thing. “It’s broken.”
“Give it time. He has to find a safe place to answer it.”
The light between the rods blinked, and Merl’s face came across the screen as a ghostly blue form. “Brilliant, I see you have Gia. Has she informed you of the goings-on?”
“Yes. How’s Asile?”
Merl’s eyes landed on me, which came across somewhat creepy. “Adding to the charm to open the door on my command alone was quite clever, Gia. We cornered Veronique at the outbuilding as she tried to escape.” He addressed Arik again. “We scried her. She’s conspiring with Conemar, who’s behind the recent attacks on the Mystiks. He has spies in every Haven. Veronique overhead you talking to me about finding Gia, thus had Conemar spell Carrig. Using his changeling to observe her—” Static ran across the screen.
Arik tilted the rods to get a better reception. “What do they want with her?”
I leaned closer to hear Merl. “Yeah, what he said.”
“From what I gathered from Veronique, they hoped she’d lead them…the chart…to locate…Chiavi.”
“Wait, you’re breaking up.” Arik moved closer to a window with me stuck to him like static cling. The rod’s reception improved.
Merl squinted at the screen. “Can you hear me better?”
“Yes, go ahead.”
“Veronique sent Gia, Nick, and Afton’s addresses to the rogue Mystiks searching for them. She got the information from your mission recorder. We’ll discuss how she got access to it later, but for now, there are more pressing matters. Brian Kearns and Deidre are in danger—”
I sucked in a sharp breath. “What?”
Arik held up his hand to quiet me.
Merl didn’t stop for my interruption. “You must rescue them and the other two humans, Afton and Nick. Bring them back to Asile. The Wizard Council has approved their travel here and registered them with the Monitors. They’ll go undetected through the gateways.”
“We will,” Arik said. “But we haven’t completed our mission. Most of the cities are secured, but I returned to Asile to tell you the Writhes’ coven has fallen. There are few who survived.”
Merl’s face was grim. “I will send guards to retrieve the survivors. Report back when you have the humans. Go safely.”
“Wait. My nana and Faith. Are they okay?”
“They are. I’ll keep them safe,” he said. “You’re not to worr—”
The blue light between the rods went dark. Arik eased them together and buried it back into his pocket.
I heaved a sigh, relieved they were alive, then remembered what Merl had said. I dashed back to the book. “Pop’s in danger! We have to get him,” I said, flipping through the pages to find the Boston library.
Arik caught my arm, stopping me. “Calm down. We wait for the others. Once they pass your globe, we’ll leave.”
“We can’t wait—”
“Bloody hell, Gia. Will you just listen to me? We need the other Sentinels. There’s no other way. We can’t just rush to the rescue without help.”
“I’m not going to risk waiting!”
He scowled down at me.
I watched his hard, dark eyes. “I’m going without you, then.”
He blew out a frustrated breath. “Will you stop being stubborn and listen?”
I crossed my arms, tears burning my eyes. “No. He’s all I have besides Nana. We have to go now. The rest can follow.”
“Oh, bugger me.” He threw his hands up in the air.
I was pretty sure he’d just cussed at me.
“What’s wrong with you, Arik?” Sinead said from across the room. “Stop being nasty. Her family is threatened, and you are not sympathetic.”
He growled and said in a softer voice, “I apologize. I didn’t mean—”
“I’m scared.” The tears I’d been holding back flooded over my lashes.
“Oh, now, don’t do that.” Arik’s eyebrows pulled together with concern. “I won’t let anything happen to your father and the others. Will you trust me on this? We need help, or we’ve lost before we’ve even started.” He towed me into a tight embrace. “You remember the hunter in the subway. We’ll be much more help to everyone if all of us are working together. Look what we did as a team against Veronique.”
Every second of delay was killing me, but he was right. We needed all the Sentinels.
I sagged against his firm chest. I believed he’d probably give his life to keep that promise, and it scared me. As much as I didn’t want anything to happen to Pop or my friends, I couldn’t accept anything happening to Arik, either. I inhaled his manly scent, my head spinning. I needed time to get to know him better. Tell him how brave he was, how much I admired him, too. I swallowed back the emotions cramming in my throat, unable to gather the courage.
“I trust you,” I said.
“Today is Sunday.” His posture was more relaxed. “Your father is at work, Deidre is at your practice, Nick’s just finishing his shift at his parents’ restaurant, and Afton babysits for her neighbor. We should have a good hour before any of them returns home.”
I tilted my head to see him. “How do you know all that?”
“From the guards that watched you during the days following the gateway breach—”
His reassurances relaxed me a little.
After each Sentinel had come through the book, I performed truth globes on Kale and Jaran, while Lei sat on a chair, cleaning her nails with a small dagger. After they both passed, Arik informed them of the situation. Sinead motioned for Sean to follow her and Jaran.
“Good luck,” Sean said, glancing at me with honest sincerity in his eyes. “I hope your da and friends make it.”
“Thank you,” I said. “Good luck to you, too.”
He took Sinead’s offered hand and grabbed Jaran’s arm.
“Wait,” I said. “The letter from my mother and the picture of my parents, do you still have them? They were in your wallet.”
He pulled out his wallet, examined it, and held it out to me. “This isn’t me billfold.”
I took it from him and retrieved the note and photograph from inside, then handed the wallet to Sinead. However small, they were another connection to my mother, just like the faded umbrella. I slipped the photo and note into my vest pocket and gave the rest to Sinead.
After Jaran spoke the key, the book sucked them into the photograph of the Trinity College Library in Dublin, Ireland.
“Poor Sean.” Demos chuckled. “When Sinead clouds his mind, he’ll never quite grasp all this was actually true. I bet he won’t ever drink whiskey again.”
“Or be tricked by hot blondes,” I said before walking off to the nearest bookcase. I scanned the titles on the shelf, trying to stay calm. My head pounded and my throat tightened. I just wanted to get to Pop. Arik came up beside me and rested his hand on my back, the warmth of his hand soothing me.
“It’s going to be fine,” he said.
“I hope so.”
Jaran and Sinead’s return interrupted him. “That Dublin library needs a good dusting,” she said, brushing her hands on her pants. “He’ll have to wait until it opens tomorrow to leave. After I clouded his mind, he fell asleep behind a bookcase. He won’t budge until someone wakes him. They’ll think he got locked in.”
Arik addressed the Sentinels kicking back around a table. “Let’s make a plan.” They all stood and gathered around him. I rushed over to join the circle.
Demos settled his arm across my shoulders. “How are you faring?”
“Fine, I guess.”
He handed me a tan trench coat. “Here, put this on.”
“What for?”
“Do you want all of Boston to see you in fighting gear? We all wear them.”
“You do realize it’s summer, right? We’ll look suspicious in these.”
“Just put it on.” Demos winked. “Cheer up. Perhaps we’ll be lucky and it’ll be raining.”
“I just want to
go
, already.”
“We’ll have to split up,” Arik said, glancing at Demos’s arm over my shoulder.
Demos withdrew his arm.
“All right, then.” Arik glanced at each Sentinel. “This is the moment we’ve only read about in our studies. A time we never thought would be during our guard.” He paused, his lips a straight line. “The Coming is here, and it is our duty to protect against the evils that will follow. I am not sure what we face, but there is not another bunch I would want to go into battle with than this one.”
“Nor is there a leader I would rather follow than you,” Jaran said as he straightened. “I will fight until my last breath for all that is good.”
“As will I,” Lei said.
“And I,” Kale followed.
Demos smirked. “Such mush.”
Lei glared at him.
“All right, no need to get hostile.” Demos held his hands up in surrender. “I was just trying to make light of the situation. I’d be the first to run into the fray.”
My knees were wobbly and my palms sweaty. How would they feel if they knew
I
was the Coming? I didn’t even know what it meant. I wasn’t like the rest of them. I didn’t want to fight to the death. All I wanted was to get Pop, Afton, and Nick to safety. And get my life back.
Arik cleared his throat and continued. “Take everything but your helmets. Kale will go with Gia to get Afton. Demos and Jaran will retrieve Nick, and I will go with Lei and Sinead to Gia’s home.”
I stepped forward. “I’m going to my own home.”
“It isn’t wise,” Arik said. “I know you’re worried about your father, but we can’t have you and Deidre together. Your neighbors may see.” He smiled then, a half smile—a crooked, endearing smile. “I will return with your father unscathed.”
He had a point. What would everyone think if they saw two of me? Pop, especially, would be really upset until I had a chance to explain. We needed to get him out of there quickly and quietly without a commotion, which someone might notice.
It was hard for me to leave Pop’s safety to someone else, but I followed Kale through the gateway book and into the Boston Athenæum. I rushed out of the library with Kale on my heels, not waiting for the others to come through. I stopped at the curb, surveyed the dark angry clouds, and buttoned up the trench coat. At least it was going to rain.
“Do you have money?” I asked as Kale caught up to me.
Kale stared at me quizzically. “What?”
“
Money
. Do you have any?”
“What type?”
Really?
Where did he think he was?
“The American type,” I said.
“Oh, right.” Kale fished through his pockets. He pulled out a bundle of Euros, several twenty-dollar bills, and a few Benjamin Franklins.
My hand shot up in the air when a taxicab approached and I screamed, “Taxi!”
The ride to Afton’s house seemed like it took forever. The taxi had to stop for too many red lights and jaywalkers. I let out an exasperated breath when a bus stopped in front of us and we had to wait.
Kale patted my jittery hand, which rested beside him on the seat. “You needn’t worry. It is out of our control.”
“How can you stay so calm right now? What if they kidnap Pop and take him to Conemar? We have to get to them before his rogue Mystiks. We all could die.”
“Where I was born, they believe the soul is eternal and we live many lifetimes. This body is just one I will occupy during my journey. It comforts me to know this.”
“Where were you born?”
“In Manipur, in Northeast India.” Kale turned his attention to the window. “I’ve been there twice. The first time, I saw my changeling living the life that should’ve been mine, and the second time was”—he paused—“when I learned of his death.”
“I’m sorry,” I said, feeling bad for him. I never knew what to say when someone lost someone they cared about.
“Thank you,” he said. He sighed. “It was difficult for me to see the sorrow my birth mother had over the loss. I wanted to show myself to her, tell her who I was, and make her love me like she had loved him, but that would’ve been senseless.”
How will I feel to actually see Deidre living my life? Would I resent her, or care for her like Kale obviously cared for his changeling?
“I’m scared.”
“Never think about the coming fight.”
“No,” I said. “I’m not scared of fighting, I’m afraid of losing who I am.”
“You only lose what you choose to lose.”
Rain streamed down the windows as I considered what he said. My life had changed so much in the last month. I wasn’t the same person anymore. My magic wouldn’t harm anyone, but I’d turned my fencing
epee
in for a sharp sword I might be forced to use. Would I kill someone? I wanted to believe I wouldn’t lose myself, but who knew what fear might cause me to do?