CHAPTER 15

 

 

 

Karsia woke as usual after only a few hours of sleep and passed the rest of the night in front of the fire, keeping it stoked. No need for it, she determined, but the consistency of the embers crumbling to ash soothed something inside of her. She let the flames lick her hands, no longer able to register pain like a normal person, no longer caring about her differences. She’d moved beyond it. Way beyond, to a place where no one could follow.

Awake, she had no memory of her time with Morgan. She recognized his purpose. Remembered days earlier how she’d understood his presence and wanted him there. The longer she sat, the less she cared. He could stay or leave or do whatever he wanted. Any zip or zing of recognition she’d felt upon meeting him had fallen away. Burned to nothing, like the wood in the fire.

Closer to the waking hours, she took it upon herself to start coffee. That’s what people did, correct? They made coffee for their family and pretended things were all right. They put on a happy face. Part of her remembered sitting and sharing a cup of something hot with her sisters. It would soothe their worries and help them imagine she was farther away from the brink than she actually was.

A young girl had jumped in front of a powerful bolt of magic. And an entirely different entity now walked in her body.

Astix and Aisanna were the first to rise. They got out of bed with the dawn and made their way downstairs side by side.

Astix tiptoed into the kitchen, trying to act like her pulse hadn’t jumped at the sight of her sister. “Feeling better?” she forced herself to ask.

“Who said I was feeling poorly?” Karsia snapped in response, leaning back against the counter and crossing her arms.

Astix took a hesitant sip from a mug and continued to stare at her sister. “Sure, you look fine to me.”

Karsia tipped her head down, glaring at Astix from underneath a thundered brow. “What?”

“Nothing. You’ve…changed. Like you’re not there,” Astix decided. “Different from last night.”

“Yeah? Well, sometimes shit happens.”

“Uh-huh. Right.”

Aisanna waited a beat to join them, hair mussed and eyes still swollen. “Tell me I haven’t missed anything.” She drew the belt of her terrycloth robe tighter as she moved to stand near the cabinets. “Did you make the coffee?”

“Yes, I made enough for everyone,” Karsia told her. “And before either one of you ask me, yes, it’s safe to drink.”

“Makes me feel better.” Aisanna helped herself to a cup and inhaled deeply, her mouth watering. “That’s the stuff. Fortification of the gods.”

No matter where they were, the kitchen, the heart of the home, always drew them. It was the continuity of it. The same basic elements that made up each space. The memories of childhood, tugging at the apron strings of their grandmother or nanny and begging for sweet treats.

“You haven’t missed anything yet,” Astix assured Aisanna. “Where’s Elon?”

“Still out of it. He can sleep like the dead.”

“How about we refrain from using the word dead in our present circumstances?”

“Sure. I’m sorry.”

Karsia watched the two interact and braced her elbows against the counter, the camaraderie making her sick. Or maybe it was just in her mind. She snorted. “Jesus, you guys act like you have to tread softly around me or I’m going to blow up.”

The girls shared a look. “Won’t you?”

“No, it wouldn’t be explosive. It would be something insidious when you least expected it.” Karsia enjoyed the way their faces fell and eyes bugged out. “I can see what you hold in your hearts. Make no mistake, if I wanted to exploit your weaknesses, I could, and you would have no clue.”

Aisanna took it upon herself to make breakfast for the rest of them. She moved to the fridge and removed a carton of eggs.

Karsia saw her heat the frying pan, melt the butter, and scramble the mix in a large bowl. She would normally have sat down to eagerly await the home-cooked meal. Instead, she glanced down at her stomach, unsurprised when it failed to make noise. When was the last time she’d actually eaten? Forget about enjoying it.

“I don’t know how you can cook in the middle of a crisis,” Astix said.

“I need something to keep myself busy.” Aisanna moved back to the stove and poured the mixture into the skillet. “Something to occupy my mind while we get down to brass tacks. We have to do something, right?”

“It will be over soon,” Astix replied. “We’re driving to the stone as soon as everyone is awake, and we can’t afford delays.”

Karsia forced down a laugh. “Morgan said the same thing.”

Aisanna and Astix stared at each other while both tried to find the right words. “He seems like a nice man. A dependable kind of guy.” Astix poured herself a second cup of coffee and, uncaring what the others thought, added a generous shot of whiskey. This time she took it to the table and sat down. “I’m not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Or however the expression goes.”

“How about we do not talk about him? I’m not in a sharing mood.” Karsia held onto her control by a tenuous string. It helped, though, being there with them, the familiarity of it all helping to reinforce who she really was, despite her dark passenger.

“I’ve been wondering what made you suddenly decide to trust him. You sought him out.”

Karsia opened her mouth to answer and stopped. What had it been? She couldn’t remember. “It doesn’t matter. He’s one more body on our side for this confrontation.”

The way she said the word gave Astix pause. “I’m not going to let you throw away what little life you have left planning an attack on the Claddium. It’s not worth it. I won’t let you kill yourself.”

“Oh, haven’t you heard? I’m immortal now, one of the perks of being the figurehead of evil. I’ll be immortal until the next lunar eclipse on the vernal equinox and some poor unsuspecting witch is forced to take my place. But that’s not the point,” Karsia continued. “The point is something should be done before things get worse. I’m a bloodthirsty sociopath, in case you haven’t noticed.”

“The longer you carry that thing around with you, the stronger it gets,” Aisanna supplied. She kept her gaze down, long hair obscuring her face.

Karsia didn’t tell them the truth—that it was already too late. She merely said the words they wanted to hear like a good puppet with a recorder in its stomach. The others needed something to hang on to, to believe in, and she needed to get to the stone.

“So far, we haven’t found a sure way to eject her. Which doesn’t mean we won’t keep trying.” Astix placed her hand over her sister’s. “We won’t stop until we do. It was wrong of you to take off like you did, when you should have stayed. We’re stronger together than we are apart.”

“It was the only thing I could think to do since I didn’t want any of you getting hurt.”

“We are not weak. Don’t underestimate us,” Astix said quietly.

“Look,” Aisanna began, “we think we have a spell that, with a little tweaking, will work now that we’re together again. It will bind the evil to a single point in space and time. Once we have Cecilia under control, we should be able to use our combined powers to remove the stain from you and set it back into the stone. It won’t stop the veil from fraying, but it gives us a buffer.”

“So easy, right?” Karsia shoved her plate to the side, observing the yellow mass of scrambled eggs jiggle. It turned her stomach. “How can you think it would ever be so simple?”

“I don’t think it’s simple. But I do believe it’s our best shot,” Aisanna countered. “I don’t see anyone else coming up with a better idea. We’ll leave once everyone is here.”

“Who are we waiting for?”

“The cavalry.”

Karsia rocked back on her heels and thought about where she would rather be. Roaming the streets amongst her people instead of standing around waiting. They were always waiting, she thought of her sisters. For the right time, the right people, the damn Harbinger to come and save them. Maybe tonight would buy her the time she needed to get them out of her hair for good.

And how weird was it, she considered, that both her sisters were now pinning their hopes on alliances with men, the two women who could never be bothered to take a partner. Who had taken pride in standing on their own feet.

Karsia gritted her teeth at the way things had worked out, knowing the numbers coupled her and Morgan together. Oh well, she would be done with them soon. All of them.

Elon and Morgan both rose within minutes of each other, one fresh and tidy, the other wearing his tatty tweed from the previous two days. He’d used the shower stall adjacent to his room and made the most of the limited facilities before slipping again into his soiled clothes.

Ready for the day.

“Eggs? They look great. I’m starving.” Morgan sent the sisters, so alike in face but miles apart in demeanor, a round of smiles before helping himself.

Elon crossed the room and bestowed a chaste kiss on Aisanna’s cheek. He was fresh-faced and bright-eyed. “You didn’t have to do this. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” She leaned into the contact, at last content with it. “It takes my mind off of…less savory things.”

Astix drummed her fingers on the table. “He should be here by now.”

“We’re waiting for Leo?”

“He sent me a message yesterday saying he had loose ends to tie up and then he’d be on his way.”

“Then he’ll be here,” Aisanna said with a grim smile. “He always shows up.”

The sheer number of people in the room had Karsia feeling antsy and claustrophobic. “I don’t give two shits about whether he shows up or not. Let me see the spell. I can tell you whether it will work or not.”

“Oh, you found one?” Morgan slurped up the last bits of his breakfast, downing the plate in record time and contemplating going back for more. He decided not to make a pig of himself.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea to show you, K.” Astix hesitated. “In case you try anything.”

“What would I try?” Karsia burst out.

“Maybe your sister is correct,” Morgan chimed in.

“Shut the hell up.”

“I’m saying we’ve done our homework and have everything prepared. Don’t worry.” Astix strove to keep calm. Shaken, she pushed away from the table and stood.

“Of course I worry,” Karsia snapped. “I’m being kept ignorant and it’s pissing me off. You two think your magic stands a chance against mine? I could set the whole state on fire.”

Aisanna finished the rest of her coffee and scowled at the empty cup. “Maybe we should leave immediately.”

“We’re going to need Leo before this is done. I can feel it,” Astix responded.

A bevy of negative emotions coursed through Karsia. At once their back and forth was not ordinary, not familiar. Conversation buzzed in her ear like flies as anger, hate, a burning need for violence took precedence in her mind. Filling her until she thought of nothing else.

Morgan turned to her. “Hey, there’s no reason to feel anxious.” He reached out to rub the small of her back, tuned in to her emotions. They beat at him as clearly as his own and drew an equal response.

Karsia swatted him away. “Don’t tell me how to feel, Morgan.”

“I’m going to get the books and the supplies.” Aisanna set her shoulders in what to the uninitiated would appear relaxed. Determined. They all knew better.

“None of it matters anymore. I’m going out.”

It mattered, Morgan knew, and he reached out to bring her back. “Your going alone is not a good idea.”

Karsia lowered her voice to a threatening pitch. “How many times do I have to tell you to stop touching me?”

Aisanna sent a look Elon’s way. “Yeah, I’m getting the books.”