Timespell (29 page)

She shut the door behind her, sealing herself in the immediate darkness of the secret room. With a flick of her hand, she lit the pitch-black air with misty light.

The room was cramped. A table, chair, and privacy screen crowded the tiny space. A large bouquet of fresh roses overpowered the air with their scent. Other than that, it was like a condensed version of the larger dressing room. Discarded clothes lay draped across every surface, including the floor, and the table was cluttered with bottles and several wigs. Beside an ornate plate with the remnants of a meal sat a cup. It was more of a goblet, really.

Angie’s eyes widened.
The goblet.

She grabbed it, hardly daring to breathe. The rim of the goblet was decorated in diamonds, with a deep blue sapphire in the center. Angie traced the jewels with her fingers and the mark on her arm warmed. The goblet wasn’t huge, but a cup certainly wouldn’t fit down her bodice as neatly as a necklace.

The sound of a click made her turn around.

Kaitlyn’s tall body shadowed the doorway. “Give it to me. Now.”

“I found it,” Angie said, her chin tilting up as she met the hard glint in Kaitlyn’s eyes. “The jewels are too powerful to be held by only one of us.”

Kaitlyn’s lips pulled back as she took hold of the goblet. “I’m taking it.”

Angie held firm, unable to believe what Kaitlyn was doing. Kaitlyn yanked hard. Angie held fast as she stumbled to her knees against the force of Kaitlyn’s assault. She would not let go.

“You found it because of me!” Kaitlyn yelled. “You followed me here just to find the jewel and keep it for yourself, just like she said you would.”

Metal dug into Angie’s palms. Her grasp on the goblet faltered. Kaitlyn had the stem and the base, and therefore a much better
grip. Angie’s blood rushed hot as the jewels cut into her skin. She couldn’t hold on to the rim forever.

Julia rushed to the door. “Kaitlyn, have you lost it? Let her go!”

“Why won’t you let me have it? I’ve got the first jewel. I’m the only one who knows how to use them! I promise not to give them to Indira.”

“Don’t give it to her,” Julia cried, holding up her hands and shooting a bolt of magic at Kaitlyn.

Kaitlyn cried out, slamming against the wall behind her.

Angie fell back, her hold lost, her hands numb from the death-grip she’d had on the goblet.

It hadn’t been enough.

Kaitlyn held the goblet with both hands, panting, her eyes and hair wild as her face broke into a wide grin.

The feeling of loss swallowed Angie whole. Her heart sank like a stone to the pit of her stomach as she realized Kaitlyn had gotten what she wanted, as she always did.

The jewel was hers.

Blood
thundered in Kaitlyn’s ears as she clutched the cup to her chest. The scrawny little cheerleader was stronger than she had thought. But she hadn’t been strong enough. Now all she needed was the final jewel and she could use the power of the Fates without the other two. She could do more than just invisibility and seeing the future. She would have
all
the magic.

She lifted the goblet, her heart seizing up like someone hit the off switch. The diamonds and sapphires along the rim were gone.

She checked inside and underneath before shooting Angie a glare. “Where’s the freaking jewel?
Where is it
?”

Angie’s gaze dropped to her hands. Julia’s gasp cut the silence.

“You have it,” Kaitlyn yelled. Her vision burned red. The little witch had tricked her! All that pulling was to get the jewel loose from the rim of the cup.

“The goblet must have been a hiding place for this,” Angie said, staring at a circle of jewels in her hand.

“Put it on!” Julia yelled.

Something twisted inside Kaitlyn. She threw aside the empty
cup, enjoying the sound as it crashed into the screen and knocked it down. “Give it to me.
Now!”

Angie slipped the golden circle onto her wrist like a bracelet. She lifted her face like a little girl, like a baby caught with something that wasn’t hers. Except Angie’s blue eyes were as cold as ice chips in her white face. “These jewels are mine.”

Kaitlyn wanted to scream. Angie acted all innocent, but she
knew.
Indira must have told her the truth, that once a Jewel of Time was worn, no one could take it off except the person wearing it. The magic came from the Fates themselves. Not even Indira could take them by force.

Unless that person was killed.

Angie stood up, her eyes never wavering from Kaitlyn’s.

Was she kidding? Kaitlyn wouldn’t let her stare her down.

“Excuse me,” Angie said.

When Kaitlyn didn’t move, Angie’s hands glowed faintly at her sides.

Kaitlyn watched Angie through her lashes, letting her pass. It wasn’t worth it. The scrawny little witch could control the magic better than she could. Now that she had one of the jewels, she would be even more powerful than before. Damn it to hell, this was not how it was supposed to be. Maybe Angie didn’t know about the jewels after all. If she didn’t, Angie might be stupid enough to take the bracelet off and put it somewhere she thought was safer.

The next time they used their magic, Kaitlyn would dive into the girl’s head and find out exactly what she knew about the jewels.

“Julia,” Angie called out. “Get away from the curtain. Anyone can see you!”

Julia backed away from the wall of velvet. “Sorry. I was just looking for Ethan.”

“Ethan’s fine,” Kaitlyn said. God, she was so sick of those two.

“It’s weird that he hasn’t come back. And he’s—he’s not answering me.”

Wait. Weren’t the love birds in the middle of a fight? Kaitlyn had felt Julia’s crazy-intense emotions. That sweet little boyfriend of hers was also Ethan’s brother. Kaitlyn couldn’t keep herself from smiling. “Aw, poor Ethan. He was falling for you, wasn’t he? But you’re with his
brother.”
Her heart beat with delicious heat at the sight of Julia’s labored breathing. “And now he’s doing the ‘right thing’ and pushing you away.”

Julia’s head jerked up, her cheeks blazing red and her eyes glassy and bright.

Was this the first time someone had hurt her feelings? Kaitlyn almost laughed. “He has to be heartbroken.” She leaned in and added in a low voice, “Don’t worry. I’ll make him feel
much
better.”

“Shut the hell up!”

Kaitlyn slid a finger under Julia’s chin. “Ethan doesn’t belong to you.”

Angie pulled Julia aside. “Ignore her. We need to return to the task. Find the portal.”

Kaitlyn glared at them. They acted like she didn’t matter. As if they were so much better than her. She turned away. Today, like every other day, there was someone an inch away from dragging her down, when the only thing that mattered was staying on top. The only thing that mattered was never letting someone else overpower her.

No. She would get those jewels. She would be the one in control. She would get revenge on everyone who had ever made her feel small and helpless and powerless. She would show them what it felt like to be choked with pain and fear. Her heart twisted with grim delight. She didn’t care whether it was the Sorceress or the Fates who helped her do it. All she knew was that revenge would be sweet.

In the meantime, she would have to make nice with these two little nobodies who had never had it hard. What did they know? She forced her eyes from narrowing again. She had to pretend the task mattered. She had to convince them that she could be trusted.

“You’re right, I guess. About the portal,” she said to Angie. All she needed was a moment to look into Angie’s mind to find out how much she knew about the jewels, but she couldn’t look into that ice-blue gaze of hers without feeling like Angie knew what she was thinking. She turned to Julia. “So, should we freeze time first?”

Julia glanced at Angie, as if Angie was in charge. Kaitlyn forced her face to remain emotionless as Angie said, “No, it’s better if we don’t.”

Kaitlyn unclenched her jaw. “At least to get back out in the ballroom? With time frozen, we could go from the stage instead of backtracking all through the opera house.”

“I don’t know,” Angie murmured. “When we freeze time, the creatures don’t have to mask themselves. It gives them a chance to go on killing sprees.”

“Even more reason to freeze time,” Kaitlyn said. “The creatures will show themselves and we can follow them back to the portal. Isn’t that how it works?”

Angie started tapping the side of her dress.

“Oh no,” Julia cried, pushing past them, rushing across the dim stage.

Kaitlyn ignored the blaze of heat from her mark. “What’s wrong with Ethan
this
time?”

Angie grabbed her arm. “Come on. We have to find out.”

She jerked away from the girl. She didn’t have to be led around.

In front of them, Julia froze. Kaitlyn’s breath left her as she saw why.

A woman emerged from the passage. At least, a woman from the waist up. From the waist down, her body formed an enormous snake that divided in two thick tails. Curls the color of moonbeams covered her bare breasts and cascaded down her back. Her perfect face tilted down as she slithered toward Julia’s retreating form.

Julia
stumbled back. Why did every other creature have to be a mutant snake?

“An echidna,” Angie screamed. “Run!”

A surge of adrenaline rushed through her body.
Run-run-run!
But she stood frozen in place. Her gaze skidded to the dark hallway behind the creature. Ethan could be hurt back there. He might be knocked out.

“Julia, let’s go!” Angie yelled.

The snake-girl’s smooth, ivory face tilted down. Her eyes shone with mesmerizing light beneath delicate brows. Julia bit her lip. She lifted her hands to send a bolt of magic at the thing— the beautiful, fragile,
lovely
thing—but it beckoned with slender fingers. Her pale curls trembled as she dipped her head and smiled. “Come, Daughter.”

Bolts of light flashed, but the creature waved them off. Her cheeks dimpled as her smile broadened. She was like a doll, Julia realized. She didn’t have sharp, pointed teeth or evil, serpentine eyes. She couldn’t be a creature, not really. She must have been
cursed to have snake tails. Julia could break the curse. She could help the girl.

“Yes, help me,” the girl pleaded.

Julia felt a hand grab her but she shoved it away. Blasts of magic left her palms as she stunned whoever was trying to stop her from helping the trapped girl. Couldn’t they see she was in trouble? Weren’t they supposed to be saving people?

The girl’s eyes grew large and luminous, the color of moonlight over water. “Save me. I beg you.”

Julia stepped forward, close enough for one of the thick snake tails to wrap around her. She welcomed the warmth, relishing the feel of dry, smooth scales against her arms as the powerful muscles took hold of her body. She no longer needed to stand, supported by the strength of the snake tail. She no longer needed to worry.

“No!” Ethan yelled.

White lightning arced across the stage. The creature threw back its head and screamed. Its grip loosened and it fell to the floor. Julia collapsed. She pressed her hand to her throbbing forehead, forcing her eyes up. Kaitlyn and Angie lay lifeless on the stage.

What had she done?

“Get out of here,” Ethan said, his hands still sparking with leftover magic. The skin on his face and arms was covered in furious welts. A red slash went down his face from forehead to jaw. “Take hold of the other two and Journey. Now!”

Julia shook her head, unable to clear it.

Magic built in Ethan’s hands again as one of the creature’s tails twitched.

“Go, Julia. You have to go!”

She forced herself to her hands and knees, her vision losing focus.
Angie and Kaitlyn.
She needed to reach them.

Her clumsy movements, made more awkward by her gown, eventually led her to Angie’s still form. Lightning flashed, lighting up her friend’s pale face briefly.

Please work,
Julia thought, raising her hand and whispering, “Restore.”

Magic flowed from her palms as another burst of lightning shot through the dark space.

Angie moaned.

“Thank goodness,” Julia said, almost falling over in relief. She headed to the spot where Kaitlyn had fallen—

She was gone.

Crap.

“We have to get away,” Angie said. “That’s an echidna. It takes over your mind.”

Like she didn’t know that already?

“Where’s Kaitlyn?”

“I don’t know,” Julia mumbled. “Can you stand? We have to help Ethan.” Her gaze instinctively turned back to him and her heart seized up.

The echidna had him in one of her snake tails. His unconscious body hung limp as the reptilian vise squeezed tighter around his torso.

Julia flew at the creature, thrusting her hands out and commanding the magic with every cell in her body. White energy poured out from her mark, covering the echidna in waves of power.

Angie joined her and the creature began moving away, her delicate face twisted in anger. Julia continued to advance, sweat forming on her brow and at the back of her neck as she forced her magic not to give out. The echidna screamed, her eyes going utterly black with her next blink.

“Don’t stop!” Julia called to Angie, whose magic flared twice as brightly as they closed in on the monster.

With a flash of gleaming, perfect teeth, the echidna flung her slender arms toward the sky. Black mist formed a vortex behind her.

“No,” Angie cried.

Panic threatened to take hold as Julia watched the swirling
mass of darkness. The echidna leapt back and Julia rushed forward. Angie held her back but she yanked herself free, following after the creature, reaching desperately for Ethan. Her fingers closed around the fabric of Ethan’s jacket and she was pulled through the black mist.

The world imploded in an abrupt absence of sound, of light, of touch. She couldn’t feel Ethan in her grasp. She couldn’t even feel her own body or draw a breath. Terror overwhelmed her. She had been turned into nothing.