Again, thanks to everyone who has read this far. All feedback welcome, and votes are very much appreciated. I hope you enjoy.
By Samantha Cook
Chapter Eleven Asscher Mansion
Feya tried to change the subject. Odin's question had instigated an awkward moment which he was beginning to read into. "How's Finn?"
It worked, although it pained her to see him flinch at the thought of his brother. "He loved her. It's tearing him apart - he's severed our psychic connect." Odin scoffed. "Izzy was the one, you know. I never thought...Well I always thought..."
Neither of them wanted to see him like this. Instead they both wrapped their arms around him. With an arm each on his shoulder, they walked down the royal hall and into the common room, expecting it to be covered in candles to mourn Isadora's death. Instead the room was lit by the usual chandelier with a curious chatter circling the room. Oliana's presence brought the room to a hush.
"The list of names will be pinned on the corkboard, all of which will be in intensive training for three days, and then resting for the next. On the fifth we will locate Derribus and remove his presences from our lives forever." Like usual, her words seemed almost impossible to go against, despite how insane they sounded. "We are the largest and most diverse Embers in our country - if anyone is to stop these murders from both outside and inside our home, we are the most likely to prevail."
A muttering began at her final words. Her speech was short, final.
"But we'll all die," Feya thought to Kelsey, who looked past Odin to give her a gloomy nod. "We can't let that happen."
All Feya understood from Kelsey was a few negative vibes before Odin interrupted. "Do you think you could maybe talk to Finn, Feya? You're the only one who must know how he feels, and even without that, you're the kindest person I know." He gave her a warm smile although the strain could still be seen in his eyes. There was only one answer any friend would give to that.
"I'll try," she croaked, hanging her head low. Suddenly it seemed hard for Feya to remember how she felt just a few hours back. It seemed almost impossible to impair wisdom on how Finn could move on from Isadora when she never had to move on. He came back; there was almost nothing she could think say to make help make anything easier.
"While you do that," Kelsey told her inconspicuously, "I'll head to the library. We need something to show us who to trust," she added when Feya looked confused. Before she could be questioned, Kelsey slipped into the stream of Embers leaving the hall.
The bundle was a tediously slow experience with no space given to squeeze past. Kelsey followed the stream of people all the way to the far side of the bunker until she spotted Oliana, standing before the library entrance.
"Kelsey Black," Oliana called, and the crowd parted, creating a path for her. There was no way of avoiding the conversation. "You need to be in training right away. You and Feya have an important part to play in our victory."
"And what might that be?" Kelsey humoured her with a flat voice.
"Feya will be your Protector. Using her shield, you two will sneak into Derribus's quarters and perform a Lockdown ritual so that nothing can get in or out." Kelsey was desperate to interrupt, but at the same time she wanted Oliana to finish her rant so that she could sneak off to the library. "The Demons will rush out to defend their territory where we will show no remorse. They will have nowhere to retreat, and no weapons to summon, such as those hexed daggers that killed your friend."
"Wait a second," Kelsey blurted. Luckily Oliana was busy taking a breath so that it was not technically interrupting. "That would mean we can't get out."
Oliana sighed. "A minor inconvenience. You will be armed, and Feya should be able to protect you from most threats-"
"Such as Derribus," Kelsey finished for her, sarcastically.
"Do not interrupt me." She glared, but Kelsey's mind was already skipping along to the next problem.
"The hexed daggers can cut through Feya's shield and, according to your logic, the place where these hexed daggers are being conjured from is the very place we'll be trapped inside of." Her head was spinning, trying to reach out for whatever Oliana was planning for them. "This won't work - we'll be slaughtered."
Oliana cleared her throat. "A minor inconvenience," she repeated coldly. "You should not be thinking of your own lives, but for those of the next generation."
Kelsey shook her head, running her fingers through her short honey brown hair. "What would happen after we've locked the building down? Say our part does work - what's yours exactly?"
It was an uncomfortable response. Oliana folded her lips into her mouth, accentuating the tight bun that always sat on her head. She composed herself completely, not giving any other information away apart what she intended to do. "We will strike. I can assure you they will succeed as long as only those who participate are vulnerable to this knowledge."
"Convenient," Kelsey muttered, although she was not heard. "Inconvenient," she repeated louder so that Oliana could hear. Seizing the opportunity, Kelsey edged towards the library but she was instantly stopped.
"You would have spent the first day with Kiyo, but he is no longer with our bunker. Instead you will be taken by Larissa."
"Where's Kiyo?"Oliana ignored her and strutted away. For a moment she felt frustrated with being left in the dark and having a potential death sentence once more on her shoulders. Still, she felt alleviated from having a lesson with Larissa. Over her two years in the bunker, she had only had a few basic skills lessons with the mentor, but each all were valuable and enjoyable. She tended to fill in for mentors who were out on business and when she did, she threw the lesson plans away and got them on their feet learning proper combat skills. "I don't understand why they don't teach you basic self-defence," she told them with a hint of a Russian accent to her tone. She was by far Kelsey's favourite teacher, although that hardly meant much when it came to the Velvet Bunker.
With Larissa training her how to bring her magic into the art of defence, Kelsey's mind did not even drift back to the library, and by then end of the day she was too exhausted to go anywhere other than her soft, cosy bed. "Tomorrow," she told an equally shattered, and dripping wet Feya. "What happened to you?"
Before she answered, Feya took in a deep breath and fell face first into her bed. When she rolled over, she left a damp outline of her body on her quilt. "Well, after being shouted at by Finn who clearly wanted to be alone, Oliana caught up with me."
"So then you know?" Feya gave her a look that told her she knew only too well.
"After that she sent me to Skyrah who had her whole team of Aqua's pelt me with water. What a fun way to learn I'm not as fast as a river... after the first two hours she told me not to use my shield." She did not need to say any more. They would go tomorrow.
However tomorrow's training was even more intensive, just as Oliana had warned them. Kelsey was thrown into the back of a room and told to get past a line drawn on the floor. Confused, she stepped forward not understanding the challenge until Odin zoomed in before her.
"Kelsey, remember his patterns. Odin - more than just your speed," Larissa shouted at them once they had finally got past the awkward 'I can't hurt my friend' stage, and into the 'for crying out loud just budge' state.
At the other side of the bunker Feya was working with an older man named Artie, whose gift was the power to take away a person's senses. When Feya walked in the lights went out, and she did not see anything again until lunch. In that time she grew accustom to the dark while he threw books at her. "No magic," he yelled at her when she coiled into a ball, keeping her shield around her. "In twenty-seven minutes a flamethrower will be joining us so no magic!" he roared, launching a book at her head. It hit her square in the face where she let out a small growl. "And don't you think I can't see that look on your face, I'll take your taste buds away if you pull it again."
Feya did not join Kelsey after their training that day. She had severe leg burns that needed to be treated. They were running out of 'tomorrows'.
On her own, Kelsey sieved through the library resources, throwing in the odd book about 'If unicorns existed', to mislead the nosy librarian who looked as if she knew exactly what Kelsey was up to. After discovering nothing she decided to take out a book named 'Theoretical Hexes for Experts' where the pointy nosed librarian rejected her.
"Oliana's given me strict orders to not to lend any books out," she nagged. Kelsey bit her tongue to stop herself shouting back, and resorted to flicking through each page , absorbing the diagrams and text. Her mind throbbed with the overload as she slammed it on the counter for the lady to tidy up. Before the librarian could complain, Kelsey was already out the door loaded with the information she needed.
Feya wasn't in their dorm, but Kelsey had plenty to do without her. She sat on her bed holding a sharp knife she had acquired a while back from the canteen kitchen and began using her memory to scratch the various symbols onto the wooden handle, and then onto the blade, which took almost up to midnight. It was then she started to wonder where Feya had got to.
With the corridors lit by moonlight glowing through the vast windows, Kelsey snuck out from her dorm. The corridors bare were bare so that just her footsteps could be heard as she made her way to the infirmary. Suddenly her steps doubled up. The echo grew louder, tickling her spine with panic. Just a few strides towards the noise sat the infirmary door, inviting her to risk it; she cursed under her breath and slipped back round the corner. She waited for the noise to grow and fade before darting onwards.
Kelsey wandered into the black room, catching the door before it could slam, and instead placing it gently into its frame. When she turned around, she noticed Feya filling the first bed looking perfectly well enough to sleep in her own room. It wouldn't surprise her if this had been a ruse by Oliana to keep them apart so that they didn't have time to do anything other than obey her - and the more she thought about it, the more true it felt.
It felt better not to think about it. Instead, she drew the atheme she had been working on and crossed the room. Just as Kelsey suspected, none of Tia's wounds had been magically healed yet, probably to make sure Tia was completely free of all dark magic which, judging by the tethers, she wasn't yet.
It was perfect. Kelsey pulled back a bandage from Tia's arm and pressed the blade across the cut while holding her breath. The spell itself was not dark or evil, although it needed a sample... She wasn't sure it would be enough for her plan to work, but it was as far as she was willing to dabble with, and it was further than Feya would allow. After all, they had no idea how much it took to become corrupt...
For the last day, Feya and Kelsey were finally thrown together to practice the Lockdown ritual. It seemed fairly easy apart from the incantation in Latin. It was starting to seem as if Oliana had to pick them for this task - not only had Kelsey studied Latin with an imperishable memory, she would be the only one to be able to remember the whole incantation on such short notice. Wondering why she was here in the first place was how Feya spent her day. She had a go at trying to communicate with Tristan but resorted to creating pearls to stretch her magic.
It almost felt like a waste of a day until Oliana slammed her book of rituals shut. "Right, I think we're ready to leave tonight." Kelsey choked on the air as Feya dropped her pearl. "If any information leaked to the Demons, we will still catch them unprepared."
After that, Oliana left them no time to think. They were sent to the common room for their last meal before being told to prepare in their dorms. Most of the Embers were loudly discussing the excitement of an attack, the possibility of the end of evil's rule and how they could be remembered in the future. On the other hand, Feya and Kelsey sat beside Odin in silent doubt before rushing to their dorm. When the door was shut, they quickly flung on their Ember outfits.
"I never found a way of detecting evil in the library books," Kelsey began before they left. "No potions, no ritual and no easy fix." Feya's head drooped but Kelsey held her hand out. "What I did find out is that years ago Embers used to put a hex on a knife so that if any enemies got a hold of it, and that enemy inflicted damage on the owner, the same damage would be conflicted to both sides."
"Fascinating," Feya breathed with a sigh. "But that's not going to help us find out if Oliana is evil or not."
She smiled, watching Feya dump herself on her bed before continuing. "It was developed by the founder of the Diamond Bunker to detect Demons who tried to infiltrate them. They had reliable Embers take a strand of hair to focus the incision, and then they..." she gulped, "used to draw it down their own arm and watch the colour of the blood. Of course the person feels pain but they quite focus on the cut because it's not entirely there. It was developed that way, so that the Demons would have no idea that they had been caught."
"So, we need one of their hexed knives? How-" but after seeing Kelsey's slick smile, she realised things were going a lot more smoothly than they felt. From inside a draw, Kelsey revealed a small sharpened knife. Scratched into the blade and handle were several intricate patterns all weaved into each other, complimenting the vicious blade with a beauty that could only mean power.
"Most of the work was remembering the patterns and reconstructing them." She twisted the blade into the light as Feya admired it with concerned eyes. Kelsey chose to ignore the feeling of doubt she could sense from Feya in hopes that she could keep Tia's infected blood a secret.
It wasn't long before there was a knock on their door, telling them to leave. Feya attempted one last time to send a note to Tristan, 'now or never', before they left the premises of the Velvet Bunker.
***
The van raced over another bump sending two violent thuds to shake the army of Embers. "Could they stop that," Feya groaned silently to Kelsey, her face fading from rose to pale. Her eyes were tightly scrunched up and her hands were clutching the chair so tightly it looked like her nails might leave a dent.
"Does she get travel sick?" Oliana asked Kelsey, as if there was a vital solution waiting to be uncovered.
"No I don't," Feya answered, insulted by the assumption that she was too incapacitated to speak for herself. "Must be the nerves."It was the best reason she could invent while the driver disregarded the speed limit and threw them over another pot hole in the road. After yet another vigorous jolt, all her mind could do was try to distract herself from the bumpy rise by thinking of anything, anyone. Her family threatened to show their faces, but they were never to be thought about, so she quickly tried harder elsewhere. Tristan came to mind...
"Can I talk to the driver about this?" Kelsey looked up at Oliana in hopes that the driver would be the same one she met two years back. She hadn't seen Domenic since the day he opened her mind, and her mind could never forget.
"Unnecessary stops and deceleration are to be avoided."
Kelsey glared, searching from Odin to Finn for some back up, but it was never any use against Oliana. It reminded her how Nikkitah's doubts were so easily sparked in their minds; manipulating them into thinking their Head Ember was evil while the rest of their friends put their lives in her hands.
"Are you going to be able to do... this," she asked Feya telepathically. "The black blood test."Feya gave a weak nod; her eyes had dark circles that gleamed back the dim light through her sweat. She looked awful.
Sticking to the arrangement, Feya took the hexed dagger and wrapped the strand of Oliana's hair around the handle several times. Doubt filled her mind but it seemed such a useless emotion, considering it was all or nothing no matter how she felt. Instead she fixed her eyes onto Oliana's exposed wrist and concentrated on the task at hand. Slowly, hiding her arm behind Kelsey, she drew a line across her skin, holding back the instinct to gasp and drop the dagger. Oliana flinched and grabbed her wrist before either of them could catch a glimpse of her blood. Luckily, by doing so she ignored Feya, who made a squeak at the sight of her pure red wound.
"You alright?" Kelsey growled at her mentor through clenched teeth, her eyes slickly flickering to Feya. She looked as if she were about to throw up although she had never had a problem with blood before, unlike Kelsey, who was her usual blanching self. Her lips were going grey like usual, and when she looked over at Feya's, they were like marble too.
"Quite alright," Oliana replied still with her hand clamped over her cut.
Sending a quick apology down the telepathic pathway, Kelsey borrowed the hexed daggered from Feya and pressed it deeper over the line she had scratched, and then quickly averted her eyes as the familiar queasy feeling seeped back into her system, spinning the world around her into a surreal series of images.
When both of them finally pulled a grip over themselves, they watched Oliana's arm closely. Eventually between her fingers seeped her perfectly red blood. Quickly Feya wrapped her prepared bandaged around her arm and hid the wound under her sleeve. "All for nothing," she muttered through her bloodless lips. "Stop the van," she gasped, springing from her seat and rushing to the van doors.
"She said stop the van," Kelsey ordered, moving Feya's trembling hands and smoothly unlatching the side door. Before the van could shudder to a halt, Feya was out in the open air and on her knees. She hung her head low and over the grassy verge but nothing came up. The cool night's breeze stroked the sweat from her face as Kelsey gently combed her hair back.
"I'm never sick," Feya groaned at the floor while Kelsey snorted.
"I'm always sick." She smiled as her friend gained a little colour back. "Not even a small part pities you, in fact, I agree that it's about your turn. Ah, Oliana is bandaging her red looking arm. I can just hear the excuses Nikkitah will pile on this one."
She watched the bandage circled the wrist plenty of times before she tied it on, still looking perplexed, and oddly shifty. Maybe she thought the cut was an omen, or an early attack. Either way, the spell had definitely gone wrong seeming Oliana could see her blood. While Kelsey's thoughts pondered, Oliana presented herself near the van door. "How is she? We need to leave soon."
"Another minute," Kelsey requested as another van pulled up behind.
Pursing her lips, the Head Ember climbed back into the vehicle so that only her long black coat could been seen while she imparted her last few words of wisdom onto the other the other students in their van. It was then that Kelsey noticed the mark on the van where Oliana's hand had been. Still holding Feya's hair, she stood to her feet and leaned towards the side of the van knowing that the night and the adrenaline building in her system could easily make her eyes see what she wanted to see. Just to make sure she tried to summon flame to her fingertips to shed a little light onto the van, but only the burning sensation returned. Still, even in the half-light there was a smudge where Oliana's hand had touched, and it was a contrasting black on the white van.
Kelsey dropped Feya's hair and peaked into the van. Oliana was wiping off what looked like ink from her hand. The gesture was subtle, trying to convince Kelsey that the decision she was close to making was the wrong one entirely. She could have easily broke a black pen that she happened to be carrying, and for reasons that would only become clear directly after they made the stupid mistake. Then again, did it matter if Oliana was evil or not?
"Tell Tristan, we're putting the plan into action now." She could hardly stop herself screaming it at Feya through her mind. Doubt struggled inside of her, but as soon as she saw Feya was already on her feet, her doubt subsided.
Then they ran. A voice called after them concerned, but before they could make it any closer, Feya summoned her shield to sit around the van like a magical fence. They ran into the grassy verge with no idea where they were and with only one task; to get away.
"Those lights could be a village. We'll stop there and tell Tristan to pick us up," Kelsey planned as she led the way. They ran further into the darkness with their feet stumbling over the lumps of soil, their eyes keeping a close mark on where the darker patches of the night may hold obstacles.
Something shot across the corner of Feya's eye. For a moment, she worried it was Odin on Oliana's instructions, until it dived into a rustling shadow. It was just a bird or maybe a small cat. Nothing was going to stop them from running to the concrete path that sat on the other side of the dark field. When they reached the urban territory, Feya focused hard on directing Tristan to their location.
It was a minute of checking behind their backs before a car pulled over. The door swung open, revealing Tristan in the passenger seat ushering them in. They pounced in beside him and tumbled into place. Nikkitah sped the car forwards.
"Where are the Demons?" Kelsey asked feigning enthusiasm.
"They'll be at work, won't they," Nikkitah answered her in the same tone before snapping into business mode. "I've sent a message to Alastor, everything we will need is already in the basement. Sneaking in won't be an issue - Melaina will guide us through like an estate agent."
The look of confusion was private between Feya and Kelsey - clearly Tristan had been well prepared. "Excuse me?" Feya eventually asked.
"Did Oliana not tell you? Figures," Nikkitah hissed. "The house Derribus has chosen is for sale. People come and go all the time - it's inconspicuous. Many people come to buy the house and Melaina shows them around, gets their interest until they hear the price. When the 'customers' don't back out, usually it's an Ember, and one very easily slaughtered by her gift."
"What gift?" Feya and Kelsey chorused.
"She's toxic, it's the reason why she's is eager to get rid of her gift. Her gift makes her infertile."
"No way - evil wants a baby?" Kelsey guffawed.
"Yes, evil wants a baby with Alastor. They never said that directly, but if you remember, my gifts inform me of the motives behind people's word. It worries me that Alastor seems too powerful for me to pick up any real motives, but that could be because he is acting on behalf of another, or interference from his own gift." She focused on her driving for three sharp turns. "Were you not curious to why such people would give up their strength? Maybe we have asked the wrong people to consider this decision."
"No, they're perfect," Tristan fired back at her. "They're perfect for this job." He smiled at Feya who at first gleamed back, but then the thought of his implications made her smile drop.
"But hang on. When they see everyone see's you alive they'll know you have the gift. Maybe you should stay."
He laughed back at her softly, although it still came across a little arrogant until he explained. "When we take magic away, that won't matter anymore." He rubbed his hand up and down her arm but she shook him off, still unconvinced.
"What if it goes wrong?"
"Then we'll have bigger problems, but they won't be mine. I can't get hurt, Feya. It's everyone else that's risking themselves. And if magic does come back and we're cornered on the top floor, you can just chuck me out the window and use me as a crash mat."
"That's not funny," she sighed. Feya could feel herself losing the argument, but even the thought of Tristan being in danger sent uncontrollable shivers down body. "You don't have to do this though - we could get Odin-"
"We'll change the subject because it's a pointless argument - I made up my mind to do this a long time ago." He placed his arm over her and pulled her into a hug so that she could smell his scent, feel his warmth, hear his heart beating in the beautiful rhythm she thought she had lost forever...
"Fine," she breathed. "How long until..." Her mind finished the sentence while her stomach filled with dread. How long until they challenged ancient magic and evil combine, put their trust with something that could risk their souls, or even just walk them to their graves like lambs into the abattoir. How long until...
"We're there."
"I guess it's easier to say that."
"The Asscher mansion," Nikkitah reiterated.
Feya shook herself from her reverie. The 'for sale' sign was pitched at a crooked angle, but that was the only impurity of the decorous house which sat in its own field of neatly woven gardens, between a tatty sidewalk and the town's administration office. It looked abstract from its neighbouring estates, with its thick white panels and large glass windows fitted in a symmetrical pattern centred to a pillared arch.
"Who would come and buy this?" Feya gasped unintelligibly. Nikkitah's answer was devoid of sarcasm.
"Rich people and assassins."
"And we're the assassins," Kelsey added taking in a gulp of air. "Won't they know who we are, on some level?"
Already three steps ahead, Nikkitah shoved a dark blue petal into her palm. "We'll each consume a rose petal blessed on the last full moon. Concentrate its purpose on keeping your appearance a mystery and it will make it hard for people to focus on your features. Anyone who has attacked at the Velvet Bunker should think you are a plausible stranger." Then she placed the petal on her tongue and swallowed. As the others examined the waxy plant between their fingers, Nikkitah made her way up to the front of the house expecting them to follow.
In a quick but hesitant motion, Feya gobbled down the petal. It stuck in her throat, causing her to choke until Kelsey wacked her on the back, a lot harder than what was needed. "I can still recognise all of you," she said, glaring at Kelsey who was smirking widely.
"No worries, it's because we know you too well," Nikkitah said. "And this is only a precaution." She turned to look at the moon, the dark night cutting it into a waning crescent only just visible from the thick clouds that covered the stars. "There is almost no wind, a sign of change to come." Then before anyone could question her, she ignored the expensive crystal door knocker and rattled her knuckles against the door.
The door opened, revealing a woman wearing a purple suit with soft grey eyes. Her vibrant brown hair that hung down her back like a stream was held into place by a white-gold comb. "Welcome to the Asscher Mansion, the word 'Asscher' referring to a cut of diamond that represents this house very well, I hope you agree." The greeting was perky and kind, unlike every other Demon encountered by the Embers. "My name is Melaina," she introduced herself, holding out a hand for each of them to shake. "I'm sorry but it's very late at night, if you wish me to show you the house could it be possible for you to come tomorrow, say, at nine or later?"
"We'd love to - but our flight to Milan is at ten thirty tomorrow. If it's alright with you, we only wish to see the basement to make sure it's big enough for our needs, if it's not too much trouble."
"Not at all. Come this way." She gave a warm smile as they filed in, before leading them at a leisurely pace past the intricate exterior that was both complex with beauty but simple with design, a perfect balance between modern and antique that only a Demon would be able to achieve. Despite this it felt very human, up until Melaina opened a cream coloured door and descended into the dimly lit basement where Alastor was waiting.
Suddenly Melaina's warm smile melted into a snarl that accentuated the cold beauty of her eyes while contorting the kindness of the rest of her features. She stood beside Alastor like she hated the very fact that she had conversed with such people. "I'm giving up my prestige so this better work," she sneered at Nikkitah. Feya and Kelsey edged back in unison at the sight of her now violet eyes.
"I like their uncertainty," Kelsey told Feya.
After a few seconds of no psychic thought Feya announced, "You know, this could be the last time we ever communicate telepathically."
"I'll miss it." Kelsey surprised herself; magic was always what made her distant and sarcastic when it came to being around most people except Feya. Still, this gift would never be enough to change her decision. It finally made her feel that she was making the right choice.
"Are you ready?" Nikkitah asked the room of uncertain expressions.