Under the Winter Sun (Elemental Enchanters Series Book 3) (33 page)

Heat poured over her body as if she was in a sauna. Ava wiped the sweat from her face, but it reformed. Her mouth was as dry as if she swallowed cotton balls. She couldn’t swallow them. Her eyes flickered open and peered out the window. The piercing moon’s light shone into her room like a spotlight on her bed. She wanted the blankets off, but her muscles refused to move. Her body was damp from the sweat.

“Gabriel,” she said, but was too weak to put any emphasis in it. The nausea swelled, threatening to come up her throat. Her head throbbed, and her eyes were heavy. “Gabriel,” she said again.

“I’m right here,” she heard him whisper.

“Hot,” was all she could say.

He pulled back the blankets and felt her head. “You’re burning up.” He lifted her from the bed. The quick motion of him opening the door and the jostling downstairs made her moan from the nausea. He opened another door, and cold air blasted her. Her arms dangled like melted cheese from a fork.

“They’ve found you. We have to leave.” He rushed through his words, as he walked farther away from the inn.

The freezing wind awakened her more. “What? What about everyone else?”

“The farther I get you away from here, the Cimmerians won’t be able to find you. Aaron’s waiting for them just in case.”

“Put me down, I can run.”

“You’re weak.”

“No, I feel better. Let me walk.”

Gabriel set her down in the cold snow, and she realized she was still in the pajamas and barefooted.

“I need shoes.”

“No time for that. Come on.” He grabbed her hand, yanking her through the village into an open meadow and ran toward the woods. The full moon projected a blue glow on the snow. Ava turned back to see the village. She tripped and fell behind him.

“Ava, we don’t have time for this.” He jerked her arm and dragged her across the snow.

“Gabriel.” She was shocked. He’d never been so rough with her. She fought to loosen his grip. “Let me go.”

He turned to face her. The bare trees cast shadows across his face, but she could still see the moon’s reflection in his eyes. “They’re coming after us. Don’t you get it?  He’s waiting. We have to hurry.”

Something wasn’t right. Who was waiting? Havok? “What are you talking about?”

The ends of his lips curled into a grin, but it wasn’t friendly. His eyes gave a venomous glare. “You were right to accuse me of being a spy.” He stepped forward.

She felt the blood drain from her face. Her heart thrummed against her ribcage and she tried to keep her breathing steady. “No. This is another trick. He’s inside my head again.” Ava slowly stood and inched backward until she bumped into a tree.

“I’m afraid not. It was me all along.”

“No. Gabriel would never hurt me. Get out of my head!”

He moved closer and raised his hand to her cheek. “Does this feel fake to you?”

She swatted his hand away. “It’s all a dream. This isn’t real.”

“It is, Ava. And you fell right into my trap. I’m taking you to Havok myself. He’ll be so proud of me.”

Water streamed down her arms and she relished the feeling. But she had to keep him talking. She couldn’t kill Gabriel. What if it was a dream, and she actually hurt someone? “You think I’m going to go quietly?”

“Havok’s Enchanters are mere seconds away from attacking the village. They are taking the Elementals and leaving the rest for dead. No one has to die if you come with me. Once we see that you and the other Elementals have chosen our side, they’ll call off the attack.”

“There’s no way that will happen.”

“You don’t know what I can do. But look at the bright side, when you join Havok, you’ll get to see me every day. Well, sort of.”

Everything about this felt real. She tried and tried to pull herself from the dream, but nothing worked. And then a realization overcame her. “You put something in my drink didn’t you?”

“Yes. I was hoping to come and take you while you were drugged, but I guess those effects didn’t last very long.”

A loud crack sounded, and Ava snapped her head toward the village through the trees. She gasped as she heard screams and saw black smoke billowing into the clear indigo sky.

Gabriel inhaled dramatically and exhaled. “Smell of defeat. I love it.” He sauntered closer. “The longer you delay this, the more will die. And you know that village has Ephemerals and Enchanters. All those innocent people.” He clicked his teeth.

Ava darted from the tree. He snatched her hand, but Ava jerked it back. She pushed him, forcing him to stumble backward. Gabriel’s feet slipped from underneath him, and he collapsed into the snow.

Ava ran toward the village but Gabriel grabbed her from behind. She elbowed him in the chest, and he let out a groan. Something about the way he fought didn’t seem right. He wasn’t using his power, but Ava didn’t dwell on the thought. His hand clutched around her neck and crushed it. She couldn’t breathe. She imagined him drowning. Within seconds, he released her, choking and gasping for air. He crumpled to the ground as water sputtered from his mouth. His head slammed to the ground, unconscious.

Ava exhaled and rested her hands on her weak knees. She needed to be strong so she could fight. Panicked screams and battle cries resonated in the night. She looked to the edge of the forest. She had two options: go back and fight the Cimmerians, as weak as she was. Or run to Havok and give herself up to save everyone in the village. She looked to her right, deeper into the forest. She had a choice to make and the longer she thought about it, the more people died.

Gabriel moaned next to her, and she looked down. His hair changed to brown, his body slimmed and shortened a bit. His head rose and his pale blue eyes met hers.

“Ilya?”

Ava stepped backward, but his arm caught her foot, dragging her to the ground. Shrill screams from the village filled the air. They were dying because she needed to make a choice.

“You thought you actually killed me?” Ilya got to his feet and jerked her up. He guided her away from the village, grasping onto her neck. He had morphed into Gabriel to take her to Havok.

“You aren’t taking me to him.” She struggled against his grip. Water trickled down her arms.

He pulled on her neck, almost taking her down, but then he let go. She whirled around and found two men brawling. They slammed each other into the trees, knocking snow on both of them. She couldn’t tell who was fighting Ilya. One of them punched the other with a sickening crack. 

Ava had to get back to the village. She would do whatever it took to fight the Cimmerians. She snuck behind them and inched herself to the edge of the forest. As she cleared the woods, she inhaled sharply, breathing in the faint smell of smoke. Fierce flames engulfed the village, and she saw through the small gaps between the buildings bodies lying motionless. Even though she still felt groggy from the drugs or whatever Ilya had given her, she started running.

“Ava,” she heard Gabriel behind her with a tired voice. 

She halted and her heart stilled. She slowly turned around and gasped. One hand held his stomach. Blood soaked through his white shirt and dripped into the snow. His body wavered like he might collapse any moment.

She hesitated. She couldn’t be sure if it was really him or Ilya. She stepped backward. “Get away from me.”

“It’s me, I promise,” he held out his hand, surrendering. “Please. It’s me.” He took a breath and groaned before he fell to his knees. His torso rose and fell with each breath as his hands dug into the snow.

“How do I know it’s really you?” she asked. She was eager to return to the village to help but something about him seemed genuine. What if it really was him?

“I took you to the Cliffs of Dover,” he spoke in short gasps.

She took a step forward. “Is he dead?”

Gabriel coughed, spraying blood onto the snow. “No. He got away. Please believe me.” He raised his head, peering into her eyes with the same intense look he’d given her before. How would Ilya have known that Gabriel had taken her to the Cliffs? 

Ava looked back at the village and then back at Gabriel. She crossed over to him and helped him lie down on his back. She slowly lifted his shirt and swallowed her uneasiness as she saw the large hole in his side. 

“How did he do this?” 

“A tree branch.”

She shuddered and placed her hands on the wound. Water seeped from her hands over his skin, washing away the blood. The hole sealed slowly and Gabriel’s breathing returned to normal.

“Thank you.” He jumped to his feet, startling her. “I promise you, I’m not going to hurt you. Come on.” He took her hand and they reached the edge of the village. “You have to stay here. You cannot fight,” Gabriel said and then crashed into a man twice his size.

Flames and smoke swallowed the crumbling buildings. Enchanters on both sides fought relentlessly. Fire. Lightning. Bombs. Chaos. The building nearest Gabriel and Ava began to fall to pieces. She gasped when she saw a man hurl Thomas into a brick wall. The bricks crumbled under his weight. Aaron’s fingers laced around a young Enchanter’s face, and Ava saw the power escape from her body. A flash of Katarina’s blue hair caught her eye as she leapt over a woman and grabbed her neck, slamming her to the ground. 

Ava narrowed her eyes and ignored Gabriel’s warning. He was crazy to think she was going to stand by and watch. Rushing toward the chaos, she jumped onto the back of a young man. Water filled her hands, and she concentrated on making it into ice. The sharp edges formed, and as she slashed the ice across the man’s neck, blood gushed out. He collapsed. Ava leaned forward, but caught herself, landing on her feet. She flung her arms out to the side and aimed water at a woman fighting Gillian. The piercing water stabbed her like shrapnel from a bullet. Gillian kicked her over. 

Screams from her left caught her attention. A woman danced frantically as flames consumed her body.

A sharp, searing pain shot through Ava’s body. Waves of red and white flashed as she doubled over. Her side throbbed. She reached back and felt something sturdy sticking out from her body, warm liquid trickling.

“Take care of Ava!” She heard Aaron shout. The humming in her ears clouded her hearing. 

“I have to take this out,” Gabriel whispered in her ear. His arm held her tight against his body, and she buried her face against his chest. “It’s going to hurt.” She braced herself. She let out a scream as he slid the sharp object from her side. The burning pain brought tears to her eyes, then she felt the icy snow against her back. “Ava, you have to heal yourself.” She took short, shallow breaths. The agony made it hard to concentrate, but Gabriel held the wound. Willing water through her, slowly the pain subsided until there was none. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes.

Gabriel wrapped his arms around her. “Are you okay?”

She nodded and looked up at him. “Are you?”

“I’m fine.”

She glanced at the horrific destruction of the village. So many unrecognizable faces lay dead. She found Mahalia on her stomach, motionless. She squeezed her tight and covered her face. She couldn’t let this continue. 

“It’s over for now.” Thomas gripped her shoulder.

“Thomas!” Moira rushed up to him and hugged him. Then she quickly grabbed Ava and drew her into a hug.

“Is everyone okay?” Thomas asked.

Moira shook her head with tears streaming down her face. “Nathan.” She swallowed. “He’s gone.”

Ava’s heart sank. His son, Lucas, would never know his father. How would Cara explain that his dad was never coming home?

“Here’s our traitor!” Gustav shouted as he dragged Ilya across the road to them. “I caught him siding with the Cimmerians.”

“What?” Katarina said.

“It was Ilya all along,” Ava told them, and looked to Savina. “He’s been leading Havok and the Cimmerians past your charm.”

“I can’t believe you would betray us,” Katarina said. A group of them circled around Ilya as Gustav held him in place.

“You slipped something into my drink when you hugged me earlier,” Ava said. “You drugged me so you could take me easily. He morphed into Gabriel, trying to take me to Havok.”

Gabriel clenched his jaw and charged toward Ilya, but Aaron held Gabriel back.

Ilya tilted his head back and laughed. “You can’t kill me. They’ll come after you.”

Aaron held Gabriel as he lunged for Ilya again.

“You betrayed us,” Katarina yelled. “All those nights you disappeared from our cabin. You were really keeping tabs with Havok.”

Ilya’s eyes landed on Ava. His lips curled into a taunting grin. “Yes. But I also had some nice romantic times with Ava.”

Ice froze around her heart. Her knees wobbled. Bile rose to her throat and her teeth clenched. Ilya had morphed into Peter and kissed her. She felt as if he’d stripped her in front of everyone. Ilya had broken her spirit and let Havok inside her head.

His gaze moved to Gillian. “And you weren’t dreaming of Jeremy.”

Gillian’s face twisted in horror. “What?”

“It was fun. You’re both lovely kissers. But I think Ava’s better.”

Gabriel wrestled loose from Aaron’s grasp and punched Ilya in the jaw. Ilya fell back into Gustav, and before Gabriel could attack further, Aaron and Sean restrained him.

Ilya laughed. “Oh the fun games I played with all of you. I put images in your minds. The snakes, the dreams of your mother.” He gave a sleazy grin and looked at Lance. “I even convinced you that the dreams about Melissa were real. You’re all weak. It was so easy.”

Lance dove toward him but Thomas and Link held him back.

“I can’t believe you,” Katarina said. She glowered at Ilya as though she was seconds from ripping his heart out. “After everything we’ve been through.”

“I’ve been trying to get you to come with me.” Ilya told her. Blood dripped from his busted lip.

“You don’t belong with us anymore. And I’m not letting you go back to him.” Before Peter could react in time, Katarina gripped Ilya. Gustav immediately released him. Her arms glowed as she grasped his neck. His eyes bulged, and he gasped for air. Blood rose below the surface of his skin. Peter pulled her back as Ilya crumpled lifeless into to the snow. Katarina turned and hugged him tightly.

Aaron released Gabriel.

“Katarina,” Gustav yelled. “We could have used him as a prisoner.”

“He didn’t deserve to live,” she spat.

“I can’t believe it,” Ava whispered. She’d been fooled twice and led to mistrust her Aureole.

“Ava,” Gabriel breathed as he took her into his arms. “He can’t hurt you anymore.”

“You must kill Havok,” Noelle demanded with tears in her eyes. “He will come back. He always does.”

Savina comforted her.

“The Inn suffered minimal damage.” Noelle dried her eyes and held her head high. “Will they come back tonight?”

“I don’t see them returning,” Moira said. “I never saw that from Ilya. I’m so sorry, Ava.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” Gabriel told her. “We all trusted him.”

“Let’s take the Elementals inside,” Savina said. “I need to make sure they are okay. Anyone else injured, come with me.”

“The rest of us, let us bury those who have perished,” Aaron said. “And clean the destruction.”

As everyone followed Savina or Aaron, Gabriel turned to Ava. “Why didn’t you stay hidden?”

“This is just as much my fight as it yours.”

“Stubborn.”

“I know.” She couldn’t believe she thought Ilya was Gabriel. But he looked and sounded just like Gabriel. His words. His voice. His eyes. Everything. “I’m sorry about earlier. I didn’t know.”

“There was no way you could have.”

“Somewhere deep inside told me it wasn’t you. It couldn’t have been you.”

He brushed his knuckles against her cheek. “I’m going to help Aaron. I’ll be in soon.”

She nodded and then headed inside. She joined Gillian at a round table and watched Noelle and a few other townspeople gather warm drinks and blankets.

They’d gotten through another Cimmerian battle, but how many more could they survive? Ava knew she had to think of something. There was no way Havok would let them attack Caprington and get away with it. He was ready for them. And he knew the right tricks to use.

“How did you know it wasn’t Gabriel?” Gillian asked. Dirt and blood dried on her round face and her curly hair fell flat, straggling just below her shoulders. It was the longest Ava had ever seen her hair.

“He didn’t fight like Gabriel. He wasn’t using his ability.”

“Because anyone who morphs into another cannot use their ability,” Savina said. “That’s how you get them to prove to you who they really are.” She checked Ava. “Seems as though the drugs have dissipated.”

“What did he use?”

“A sleeping potion most likely. He must have gotten it from someone. I’ve put a charm only on this building, hiding us. If they do come back they won’t see us. Now that Ilya is gone they cannot know we are still here. You can rest.” She walked away to check on the others. Lance and Thomas dropped down in the chairs next to Ava and Gillian.

Ava shook her head. “There is no rest until Havok is dead.” She kept her voice low. “He’s only going to keep killing people if we don’t do something.”

“He’s going to kill them whether we do something or not.” Thomas dragged his hands down the length of his face.

Lance rubbed his tired eyes. His hair had become a thick curly mess. “What do you suggest?” He raised his eyebrows at Ava.

“Why are you asking me?”

“Because I know you’re working on something in your head.”

She looked around to make sure no one was listening. “We have to turn ourselves in.”

Gillian’s jaw dropped. “Are you crazy?” she asked in a loud voice.

“Shh. It’s the only way. We’re the only ones who can end the Cimmerians and kill Havok. Think about it.” Ava leaned forward and they followed. “We turn ourselves in claiming we willingly join. We attack from within. Havok will never suspect it.”

Gillian’s eyebrows furrowed. “Um, how exactly is he going to believe us?”

“We hide our thoughts and emotions,” Thomas said. “Ava taught us a little on how to do that.”

“Heart of Stone,” Lance said.

“Okay, say we perfect this in the next few days or however long it takes us to get to Caprington. We get there and a huge battle ensues. If we attack the Cimmerians, Havok won’t believe that we’ve changed sides.”

“We don’t fight,” Ava said.

“Have you lost your mind?”

“She’s right, G,” Thomas said. “If we don’t fight, and we give ourselves over, Havok won’t kill anyone. He kept saying that in those dreams to me.”

“What’s going to happen to the rest of us?”