Danger, Beck's newly awakened magick warned him. It wrenched him out of deep slumber. His heart was racing, the earth's rumble like thunder. He struggled to figure out if the bed was shaking from some sort of earthquake or if it were his body.
He swung his legs out of bed. It was him. Elemental magick thrummed through him, driving him towards...what? He didn't know, but it wasn't going to let him sleep. Dressing clumsily, he ran out of the cabin to his new car, which had appeared as promised on his eighteenth birthday. He opened the garage door then paused. Unable to calm the wild magick inside him, he strode to the driveway and pressed his hands to the earth.
"What is going on?" he demanded.
Images made him stagger as the element relayed its memories. It was agitated, upset, and the disjointed images running through his head made little sense. A fawn, Biji, Summer, dark magick and...fear. The earth was afraid.
Trembling, Beck rose and hurried to his car. He recognized the clearing near the school. Whatever had happened, Summer and Biji were in danger. The earth was compelling him towards those who needed help.
As if he knew how to provide help. Overwhelmed already, Beck tried to calm himself as he quickly drove the short distance to the school. He'd spent the day testing his magick and ended up frustrated when it didn't tell him how to be the Master of Light. No one knew, though he was almost relieved his instincts warned him of danger. He didn't have to guess anymore about how he'd find out if there was an issue, only what he'd do when the element woke him up in the middle of the night.
He stopped on the gravel road near the boys' dorms and pushed open the car door. Its thunder turning to a roar, the earth had already cleared a path for him through the forest. How was he supposed to be able to think with this racket? He saw movement further down the road and tried to focus over the sounds in his head. He thought he recognized Dawn and...Alexa?
It didn't make sense for them to be together in the forest after dark. Before he could give it much thought, the earth beneath him shook to propel him forward. Beck went, unable to fight the element. The path took him through the forest and into the clearing.
Despite the earth's demand, he paused, spotting Biji alone in the field. She was seated on the ground, her shoulders shaking as she sobbed.
"Biji?" he called. "Are you okay?"
She looked at him, the expression on her face terrifying him. She didn't appear to be hurt, and the earth was urging him onward.
"Summer," Biji managed. She pointed towards Miner's Drop.
Dread filled Beck, and the earth flashed more images through his head that didn't make sense. Images of fleeing through the forest, of falling. Unable to linger, he pulled his cell phone free from his pocket and tossed it to her as he trotted by her to follow the path the earth laid out for him.
"Call for help," he said. "Okay?"
Her nod was slow to come. She climbed to her feet, phone at her ear, as he plunged again into the forest.
The sound of Summer's sudden scream filled his mind although he innately knew that it came before he arrived. It also left him no doubt about what was happening. Beck stumbled and fell, horrified at the sound, more so when it stopped as abruptly as it started. He panicked and ran, allowing the magick and his instincts to guide him in a direction he'd never been.
There were two ways to reach the canyon floor of Miner's Drop: by going over the cliff or stumbling down a treacherous deer path. Beck tripped and rolled a few feet, debating whether the cliff wasn't a better option. Rocks and shale cut his exposed arms and face while boulders bruised his abdomen.
He pushed himself up, cursing, and all but flung himself down the path again. He didn't have the same grace – or time – of the animals that routinely took the narrow route. His heart raced from more than exertion, and his thoughts were split between watching where he went in the starlight and Summer.
An image of her falling flashed through his mind. Earth magick didn't give him a chance to catch his breath. It compelled him to the deer path running from the cliff to the canyon floor. And to Summer.
Breathing hard, Beck didn't have time to dwell on why the earth thought he could help someone who'd fallen so far. There was no chance she survived. He concentrated on navigating the steep path. He tumbled once more. New pain fed his frustration. As he climbed to his feet, another sound came from the top of the cliff that made him wince.
Decker's roar was inhuman. Beck heard his twin's agony, and it made the clamor in his head louder. Bruised and bleeding, he continued down the path and finally broke free onto the sloping rock leading to the canyon floor. He stopped to catch his breath and look around. The moon was dark, but stars drenched the rocky slope in silver-white light. It took a long moment before his gaze found her crumpled body among the small bushes and trees growing out of cracks in the stone.
Beck's heart pounded in his ears. He stared, unable to move towards her for a long moment. He'd considered Summer small compared to his six-foot-two frame. From the distance, her still body appeared tiny, a broken, lifeless doll. Blood was splashed on the stone around her. It gleamed black in the starlight while the Dark shadows clinging to her swallowed the light.
He forced himself forward. The unfamiliar tinkling of the air, one of the two elements from which Summer drew her magick, called to him. Air magick lifted Summer's dark curls, trying to wake her. It swirled around Beck, its song a mournful flute melody that turned hopeful at his approach. He and Summer shared the earth element, and its magick rumbled beneath Beck's feet, urging him to the girl's side.
What did they expect him to do? Beck gripped his head, unable to rid it of the magick long enough for him to think straight.
He knelt, whispering, "Summer?"
There was so much blood. He swallowed hard and reached out to her, pushing hair from her face. A gash ran down one side of her face and neck. His hands trembled as he felt for a pulse. It was there.
Faint, slow. Weakening.
Her shadows crept towards him. They were cool against his heated skin. She was Dark...but not fully. Like the man Beck's mother showed him, the one who broke a Light Law, she had not yet been claimed by the Dark.
Looking over the gashes of her face and neck, Beck realized Summer's amulet was gone. His eyes went to the cliff above. Whatever happened this night, Decker hadn't been able to take her soul after she went Dark. He hadn't completed the rite. Beck had seen the way Decker looked at Summer; his twin would never take her soul. Decker loved her.
This is my fault. Beck's throat tightened.
He was supposed to be the protector of Light and all the Light witchlings, yet he failed before his second day began. He hadn't wanted to believe the Dark in Decker could hurt anyone as sweet as Summer, and now, she lay dying in front of him. He hadn't understood his duty to Light meant he couldn't just walk away from what he was, from what Decker was and what that meant. They weren't playing a game to see which twin won. They were competing for something far greater: the souls of witchlings, like Summer's.
Decker cried out again. Beck realized he'd failed more than just Summer. Both Decker and Summer suffered, because of him.
"What do I do?" he asked the elements.
The air's song turned mournful. The earth's grumble became a sigh. The voices in his head fell silent.
"Please help me," Beck said hoarsely.
"Son."
He twisted at his mother's soft voice and step. Black fog clung to her as she materialized a few feet from him. Her eyes weren't on him, but the body beside him.
"Mom, I screwed up already," he whispered. "I didn't protect her."
"No, son."
"It's my duty, isn't it? To protect her from my own brother?"
She said nothing. She was enigmatic as always, her black eyes unreadable and her magick rendering the air around her charged. With her dark hair and ageless features, she appeared unimposing, nothing at all like someone who claimed souls for a living.
"Isn't it?"
His mother met his gaze finally. "The elements brought you?"
"Yeah. Guess I didn't need Nora after all." Beck reached out to Summer again, checking her pulse. He barely felt it this time. Panic and guilt streaked through him. "How do I make this right?"
"I don't think you do."
"You spend so much time with Decker, showing him how to use his magick. Can't you help me for once?" His voice rose, and so did tears. "I have to make this right!"
There are no second chances. Sam's sad voice entered his mind.
"Back off, Sam." His mother's voice carried a lethal edge that startled Beck. "You already tried to throw one of my sons off a cliff."
If you're both here, she must be alive.
Beck watched as his mother stepped between him and the auburn yeti a few feet away. Charged with balancing Light and Dark, Sam was a gentle, shy ally who loved the witchlings as much as his forest creatures. Yet Beck's mother was poised as if for a fight, her dark eyes flashing with anger. Sam's soulful gaze was on Summer.
"Mom, what's going on?" Beck asked, standing. "Why would Sam hurt Decker?"
"This is between us, Beck. Go home," his mother replied.
Beck flushed. He glanced down at Summer. The air's song was growing fainter, sadder, its attempts to toss Summer's hair slowing. Decker's next cry was desperate. Somehow, he felt Summer dying, too.
Air magick pushed Beck towards Summer. He steadied himself, but understood what the element wanted.
"No," Beck said softly. "This is where I belong. And if someone doesn't...doesn't help me figure out what to do ..."
We have not had a strong Master of Light in too long. Sam's voice rang out in their heads, speaking as much to Beck as his mother.
The former Mistress of Dark looked away. Beck noticed the amulet dangling from her hand for the first time. It was amber, Summer's color, with a wisp of black trapped within the stone. He reached forward and snatched it, holding it up to the starlight. There was still a faint glimmer at the center of the stone. His mother whirled, reaching for it. Beck pushed her away.
"Someone talk to me," he snapped. "I have a feeling if I claim a Dark soul, nothing good comes of it."
"Beck," his mother growled.
A Light Master cannot claim a Dark soul. Like the school grounds, you cannot be polluted by Dark magick. Sam's voice registered. If you claim Summer's soul, Decker loses both his mate and his equal. There will be no one to tie him to the Light, and Darkness will be unleashed upon the world through him.
"But would she live, if I did it?" Beck demanded. "Would she be Light again, even if I turned Dark?"
"There is a way to help her, but it's not that," his mother said.
"What way?" he asked.
No one answered him.
Anger stirred. Beck placed the amulet on the ground and lifted his foot over it. His mother's gaze flew from the stone to his. The fear in her eyes terrified him. He'd never seen his mother afraid of anything.
"Please don't, Beck," she said quickly. "I almost lost one son tonight."
"There has to be a way, mom." His own voice quivered. "Look at Summer. Look at Decker. Look at me. Whatever happened up there, it'll destroy all three of us tonight."
He held his mother's gaze, unwilling to back down. Too many people were hurting. He meant what he said. He'd rather trade his soul to save his twin and Summer than live with the pain and guilt that came with knowing one of them was dead and the other condemned to a lifetime of suffering. He could've stopped this, if he'd only he knew how to be the Master of Light.
After a long pause, his mother spoke. "I came here to help her. There is a way for her to start over and go through the trial again. There's a second chance. It's never been successfully done, because the trial the second time is much harder. Instead of choosing Light, she would have to fight her way out of the Dark."
Beck listened in surprised silence.
"I came here to stop her from dying, to give Decker a second chance so he doesn't live his life with my pain. I hadn't realized that you would need that, too." His mother's voice grew almost too quiet to hear.
"What pain?" Beck asked.
"We'll talk about it later," his mother said, her voice hard again.
No. You'll tell him now, Rania. Sam's voice replied just as firmly.
"It's not the time, Sam!"
One of you will lose your soul tonight. There is no better time.
Rania wiped her face. Beck looked between them, uneasy with the secrets. He knew his mother had many, and he guessed Sam would, too. The creature had been alive for thousands of years. He was bound to have some secrets.
"Please, mom. Talk to me," Beck said.
She nodded and took a deep breath. "You're right," she began. "I haven't been fair to you. I've helped Decker, because he followed my path. I've lived through what he will become. It is a burden unlike any other, to commit evil in the name of good. You cannot understand how it consumes you." Her eyes grew haunted. "I assumed your burden would be easier, and truly, Beck, I have no idea how to help you. I'm sorry I didn't try harder to find a way to prepare you better."
"Stop fighting with Nora," Beck reasoned. "She'll help me." As he spoke, he glanced down at Summer, disturbed that she was bleeding to death while they talked. Beck knelt beside her and peeled off his t-shirt. He'd learned some first-aid, though nothing that was going to fix this amount of damage. His hands quivered as he pressed the cloth to the wound in Summer's neck to try to stem the hemorrhaging.
"I'm not fighting with her, Beck. She's dead. I killed her. She was my first...my first kill, three days after my ceremony," she managed. "If you take a Dark soul, Decker will kill you. He will have to. And then he will have nothing. Not Summer. Not you. The evil he might unleash upon the world..." She cleared her voice, and he saw the tears in her eyes. "You are all he has to tie him to the Light, Beck. You don't know what it's like... what I've done. If not for your father, I might have destroyed all Sam has done to maintain the balance for a thousand years."
She tipped the scales too far to the Dark as it is, Sam added, his voice soft in their minds. Your burden, Beck, will be trying to repair the damage done to the witchlings, the Light, even the school.
"Without you, Decker will destroy what's left of the balance."
"But... how could you...to your own twin?" Beck was too stunned to form the words. "Why?"
"Because it was my duty." Her response was barely audible.
He struggled to digest all she'd revealed. She and Sam waited for him to speak, but he couldn't find words to express the chorus of emotions in his mind. Sorrow, horror, fear.
His eyes swept over his mother before dropping again to sweet, gentle Summer. He couldn't imagine two more opposite people. He didn't want to imagine what his mother felt killing her own twin, and he suspected Nora's death was the first in a long line of his mother's dark deeds. It scared him to see tears on her face and stirred a protective instinct that didn't exist before his eighteenth birthday. She was more than the powerful, mysterious Mistress of Dark. She was a woman who took the life of her sister in the name of duty and still suffered from the memory. He couldn't condemn her, not when she stood before him, shaking and vulnerable.
His mother needed him. Summer needed him. Decker needed him, too, just as Dark and Light balanced one another. From class, he knew his duty was that of the protector while Decker the enforcer. Gazing at his tormented mother, Beck began to realize that sometimes, the protector might have to come between the Dark and its Master. No one deserved to handle the horrible duty serving Dark alone.
Compassion replaced his horror. He didn't know exactly what he was supposed to do, but he knew he needed to do something. He wasn't going to let anyone else suffer.
Beck stretched over Summer's body to retrieve the amulet from the ground. He repositioned the makeshift bandage that was his T-shirt and stood.
His mother held out her hand. "It'll be my soul that's traded for hers, son, not yours. I created the imbalance. I will give you and your brother the chance to right it."
Beck didn't return it. He clenched the amulet, thinking hard and silently begging the elements to tell him what to do. The air tugged at him while the earth beneath Summer trembled. He had to save her. It was more than a duty. This was Summer – his friend and the only other person who could save Decker from the Darkness.
Sam eyed both of them. I have not agreed with you, Rania. We Sams must agree to allow a witchling to take a second trial.
"You will agree, Sam," Beck said with some uncertainty. "Right now, Summer's fate and me are all that stand between Darkness and the rest of the world."
How far are you willing to go to save her and your brother? Sam asked, uneasiness in his stance.
"As far as I have to. I will trade my soul to give Summer a second chance. I failed to protect her and Decker. I must make this right, and I won't let you take my mom's soul. She's suffered enough," Beck replied. The difficult words were even harder to hear out loud. There was no going back, once they were spoken. "You can agree or I can crush this." He held up the amulet.
"Beck –" his mother objected.
He is the Master of Light, Rania. You are no longer the Mistress of Dark. Sam's rebuke was gentle.
His mother's voice shook with emotion. "I won't lose my sons, Sam."
"This is what I'm supposed to do, mom. I think. God, I hope it is," Beck whispered. "I have to make this right."
Sam was quiet. He tilted his head to the side, and Beck held his breath, waiting. The yeti communicated silently with his fellow forest creatures. The glimmer in the amulet was fading.
Finally, the yeti's words were heard.
Very well. She will get a second trial. She must prove herself worthy of Light. Unlike the first trial, she will not start in Light, but in Dark. The chances of her succeeding are not good.
Beck gasped. "But you'll give her a chance?"
"Beck, you don't know what you've done," his mother said in a hushed voice.
If Summer fails, it will cost more than your soul, for Decker will destroy the balance. Sam continued. If she succeeds, there will be no debt to be repaid. Do you understand this, Beck? You risk more than your own soul.
"Wow," Beck breathed. He didn't know what to say at the image Sam painted of the world falling to Darkness if Beck was wrong. But the elements, his magick and his own gut were insistent that Summer had to be saved. Finally, he nodded. "I understand."
He glanced at his mother, who stared at the yeti as his thoughts continued to rush over them.
There are rules, Beck. Summer must start over completely. She cannot know her past decision, or it will influence her decision in the future. Decker must not know she lives, or he will influence her decision. Their lives are intertwined from tonight onward. It is the only way I can hide her from him, for he will sense either the Dark or his mate otherwise.
"Okay," Beck said, puzzled. "But people will know who she is when she shows up at school."
"No, they won't," his mother said. "I'll take care of that."
He gave her a long look. "You're not going to kill everyone, are you?"
"That wasn't my first plan," she said with a troubled smile.
Rania, you must understand this. Sam's voice grew urgent. Decker will be in pain like you were. He will be out of control like you were. He will kill like you did. But you are forbidden from helping him. Summer must find her way back to the Light, if she can, and Decker must win her again, if he can. They both have a second chance.
"I understand," she said.
They both may fail. Summer may find her way, but Decker may not. Without his predestined mate, he will become mad, like Bartholomew. You cannot interfere.
Beck's breath caught at the reference to the man known as Bartholomew the Terrible for his merciless slaughter of witchlings and humans. There were more tears in his mother's eyes. She nodded tightly.
"What about me?" Beck asked.
Protect them both without revealing Summer or this night.
"That sounds..." impossible. He didn't say it. Right now, he thought things were almost going good.
If good meant less terrible than five minutes ago.
Do we have an agreement? Sam asked silently.
"Yes," Beck said without hesitation.
"Yes," his mother echoed.
Then it is done. The amulet.
Beck placed it in the yeti's huge hand. It dwarfed the delicate stone, which flared brightly at Sam's touch.
I need a hair from both of you and Decker, Sam indicated.
"A hair?" Beck asked.
"I'll get one from Decker," his mother said. She plucked one of hers free and handed it to Sam before her shadows swept her away to the top of the cliff.
Sam held her hair beside the blazing amulet. The hair came to life, resembling a wriggling snake. It wrapped itself around the amulet and pulsed black before disappearing into the stone. The yeti removed a red hair from his arm. It settled around the amulet, flashing amber before the stone absorbed it.
Beck reached up and pulled one free. He held it out beside the amulet, unnerved when it came alive in his hands. His flashed pure white before disappearing.
This will hide Summer from everyone but me, Sam explained.
Beck's mother materialized, hands clenched around Decker's hair. It, too, pulsed black, when the amulet claimed it.
"Go with Decker to the hospital, son," she said to Beck without looking at him. "I'll take care of Summer."
Beck hesitated, his gaze going to Summer's broken form again. They'd made a deal. He didn't think there was anything his mother could do to change that. He thought of the deer trail and grimaced. The scrapes on his skin smarted, and his ribs felt bruised.
"Can I get a ride up there?" he asked.
His mother held out her hand. He took it, and her cold fog swept them away. When it cleared, he stood on top of the cliff. Beams from flashlights and the sounds of people crashing through the forest drew his attention. He vaguely recalled hearing sirens while negotiating for Summer's fate with Sam.
His mother's cold shadows faded. Beck turned and approached Decker.
He crouched beside his twin, not understanding what was wrong. Decker was shaking and pale, his skin clammy. As Beck watched, a wound resembling Summer's opened along Decker's face and neck, gaping and dark. Just as quickly, it closed.
Decker groaned in pain, clutching his stomach. The wound on his face opened again, followed by another on his arm.
Beck watched, speechless. Sam said the lives of Decker and Summer were intertwined. Was Decker feeling what Summer did?
Horrified at the thought of his twin in so much pain, Beck touched Decker's face. It was hot, fevered.
"Decker," he said. "Decker, can you hear me?"
His twin mumbled words Beck couldn't decipher. He didn't know what to do. While born only minutes before him, Decker had always played the role of an older brother. He'd always tried to protect Beck, who was the more carefree and outgoing of the twins. Beck wasn't used to seeing his normally calm, brooding brother so helpless and vulnerable like their mother had been. Decker would know what to do right now, but Beck didn't.
Some protector I am.
"Beck!"
He looked up at the cry. Biji burst out of the forest towards him. Tree branches snagged her hair, and she yanked away. Tears streaked her face.
"We have to help Summer!" Biji's voice carried a hysterical note.
He stood and moved to intercept her as she barreled towards the edge of the cliff.
"Biji–"
"Come on, Beck! We have to –"
"Biji!" he said more loudly. He caught her arm then pulled her to him, taking her shoulders. "Biji, Summer is gone." The words were hushed.
"No, she's right there. We just have to get to her," Biji insisted.
"Biji," he said again. He wasn't sure where the calm, firm voice came from. He definitely didn't feel that way. "Summer is gone."
Biji stared up at him, anguish in her dark eyes. "But she's my friend."
Beck's heart broke at the loss in her voice. He hugged her. Biji was shaking and within a few seconds, she began sobbing. He swallowed hard, not wanting to cry. His eyes went to Decker, who convulsed under the onslaught of Summer's wounds.
"She's my friend..." Biji wept.
"I know, Biji," Beck whispered. "It'll be okay. I promise." It was lame, but he didn't know what else to say. Weeping wracked her small frame. He held her tighter.
The paramedics broke through the forest, shining a flashlight in his direction. Blinded, Beck raised a hand to block the light. Two men went to Decker while another addressed Beck.
"Can you tell me what happened?" he asked.
"I don't know," Beck replied. "He just sorta collapsed."
"I thought I understood from the little girl that someone went into the Drop."
Biji was crying too hard for her words to make sense. Beck slowly shook his head. There was nothing they could do for Summer. She was in the hands of his mother and Sam.
"No," he lied. "No one went over the cliff."
"She okay?" the paramedic waved his flashlight towards Biji.
"She's fine," Beck answered. "I'll take her back to the school and meet you at the hospital."
"What is going on?" one of the EMTs near Decker exclaimed.
Beck saw the wounds on Decker's face disappear again. He didn't know what to tell them. He didn't even know if they could help his twin. But he knew he couldn't have Biji talking about someone going off a cliff. Sam said no one could know Summer survived, and the paramedics weren't going to find a body.
With one hand steadying Biji, Beck shifted and scooped her up in his arms. She clung to him. He approached the trees and waited. They parted, providing just enough room for him to carry her carefully into the forest and back to the dorms.
The forest closed around him. He still heard the lonesome tinkling of the air and shivered as a cold breeze stilled and settled into the trees. The earth's low rumble was quiet, the last grumble of a fading storm. Both of the elements were worried. Beck didn't want to tell them he was, too, and how scared he really was.
Instead, he made his wayback to the dorms, walking away from Miner's Drop with the only witchling he'dbeen able to help this night.