Chapter 452: Leave Taking
Mom's mind was closed to mine, no matter how hard I tried to reach her. I stood in the back yard where I'd stopped my forward motion from the park after dumping all of us near the edge of our property, the whoosh and sigh of vampires arriving and departing with coven members echoing behind me.
Give me the silent treatment, would she? We'd just see about that.
As much as I agree with you, Gram cut through my irritation as she strolled to my side, striped socks soaked by the early-evening rain I'd missed, give your mother a little slack. And go see her in person if you're planning on reaming her a new one.
Brilliant idea.
"We have to go." Trill pulled away from us, hovering with Owen at her side, the glow of the crystal still shining in his hand. "You heard Belaisle. They'll be coming after us. And if they don't have Nona," a single bright spark, that, "we have to get to her before they can track her down for real."
"On your own?" Sebastian strode from the dark, holding out his hands to her. "When there are those of us who would risk everything to protect you?"
Had already.
"Remember what I said?" I let my temper cool, saving the really good yelling for Mom later. "About trust? And letting us help you build your army? We're all in this together, Trill." Even now, more than ever, considering how our magicks worked so well together.
If Mom would just turn us loose, maybe we could send the Brotherhood packing.
Trill hesitated at least, didn't bolt off like I figured she would. "I wish I knew what to do," she whispered at last.
My anger swiftly refocused to the one person who could give us answers. "Come with me," I said, offering her my hand. "Iepa has a lot of explaining to do."
We left Owen behind for obvious reasons, Gram in charge of putting coffee on and settling the coven in the basement for a debrief while Sebastian accompanied us back to the mansion. As much as I would have loved to watch the coven make small talk with the large group of vampires their leader left behind as a show of solidarity, the sheer ridiculousness of it appealing to my rather odd funny bone, I was much more looking forward to yelling at someone.
And the maji woman who had orchestrated all of this would do.
With the remainder of the clan on guard around the mansion just in case Belaisle didn't honor the orders of my mother-I was sure he gave her edicts about as much weight as I did-I descended into the chamber below with Trill on one side and Sebastian on the other, Charlotte trailing along behind.
As usual.
Sebastian seemed pensive, quieter than normal, and the attraction typically affecting us both had worn dull enough I noticed. I reached for his hand, felt his fingers tighten on mine and remembered, pulling away again to examine the injury that fed Trill's power.
The cut was gone. Healed, as though it never existed. Trill noticed me looking from where she followed behind, her voice echoing softly as she spoke.
"Creation magic," she said. "Tied to the power of the maji. You're almost there, Syd."
But where exactly was I going?
The floor of the bottom chamber seemed to hum under our feet as we crossed the threshold. The slab itself glowed with iridescent power, calling us closer. I went with Trill, Sebastian holding back, as the maji girl walked forward, eyes locked on the empty bed of stone. Her gaze lifted, pinpoints of the same rainbow power now glowing inside her brown eyes as she reached for my hand with one while pressing her fingertips to the stone with the other.
Without thinking, I mimicked her motion-
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