Carrier 02: Shadow of the Mark (13 page)

“Thank you, Rían,” Cú said, looking relieved. “After Trohet, I will explain all I can. If you can just bear with us.”

We were asked to remain seated at our table while the Trohet ceremony took place. Atop the altar, a fire burned brightly. On one side was a golden chalice with intricate engravings representing the four elements; on the other, a golden plate. Each Knight put his hood up over his head and bowed toward the stone altar. Their ancient druid roots became apparent as they stretched out their hands, letting their fingertips touch each other. Silence fell as Cú threw something on the fire that made the flames grow and burn bright green. The Knights’ voices rose up around the circle, and the melodic tone of their chant reverberating around the cavern gave the illusion of a different time and place.

Cú’s voice rang out around us. “Our solemn oath is binding and strong. We as Knights vow allegiance to the Marked. We bind ourselves to the elements within. We bind ourselves to duty and honor. Let the will of the spirits guide me tonight, tomorrow, and ever after. May my judgments be pure, may my thoughts be honorable.” He picked up the chalice.

Áine leaned into Adam and whispered, “Is that the—”

“Cup of Truth,” Adam muttered over her, his eyes focused on the golden chalice.

As Cú took a sip, a gentle light illuminated his face. He closed his eyes and raised the cup above his head, turning his face toward the cave ceiling. He then passed it to Chloe.

I wondered for a second if she would be able to drink from it. I held my breath, and my heart skipped a beat as she raised the cup to her lips. She sipped and was bathed in the same warm, golden glow. I sighed inwardly. She was pure of heart, despite the fact that she had lied to all of us. I couldn’t wait to hear Cú’s explanation for everything. Once the chalice had worked its way to all the Knights, Cú picked up the golden plate and held it in front of him. Four Knights lined up, each holding an offering. The first poured a small handful of earth. The second, a burning ember. The third, a goblet of water. The fourth, a handful of nothing.

As the fourth blew the contents of his empty hand onto the plate, Cú murmured, “Nourished by earth, warmed by fire, quenched by water, and enabled by air, bound are we until the circle comes full.”

He ran his hand through the contents on the plate, mixing them together, then pulled back his robe, smearing the concoction over a trinity-knot tattoo on his collarbone, just like the one on his star. “With my body I protect; with my soul I defend.” Cú then stepped out of the circle.

Chloe went next. She exposed her tattoo and smeared it, all the while staring at Rían. Each of the Knights took a turn with the plate until the circle was complete again.

Cú put both hands up to his hood and lifted it away from his face. “To another successful year, my brothers. Let us celebrate.”

The Knights pushed back their hoods and cheered.

Adam came up from behind me and put his arms around my waist. My stomach flipped, and warmth radiated to the rest of my body. “We’ll be back under Fionn’s scrutinizing eye again tomorrow, so we should make the most of tonight,” I murmured.

“We will,” he promised, kissing me softly.

I suddenly realized the room had gone quiet.

Cú’s face was strained and serious. His eyes swept over the Knights, and then he cleared his throat. “We know of your situation, Megan and Adam. You should know the Fifth Prophecy—the foretelling of your union, and the death and destruction that will follow—is the darkest fear of the Knights.”

Adam scowled. “There is nothing to indicate that Megan and I have anything to do with the Fifth Prophecy. People weight their argument too heavily on the Scribes, which are well known to be nothing more than ancient ramblings.”

Cú dropped his voice and turned away from the prying eyes of the crowd. “Personal opinions aside, it is our job as Knights to protect your elements, no matter what the consequences. Your union jeopardizes all that we strive for and exposes your elements to the darkness.”

“What darkness?” Adam asked.

“We can discuss that later. It would be best not to antagonize the other Knights with too much physical contact. Others may be watching.”

“Others?” Adam asked.

“People who don’t necessarily have your best interests at heart. Once your element has been exposed to the darkness, even the people you hold dear can’t be trusted,” Cú said with a grim look on his face.

“Not even you?” Adam asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Especially not me,” he said, allowing his lips to curl into a crooked smile.

H
ow about a nightcap before we retire for the evening?” Cú proposed as he led us into his house. “Maybe Jägermeister?” He smiled and held out a rather ominous-looking bottle. Exhausted, Áine and I both slumped down on the couch. I landed awkwardly on my phone in my pocket, and I suddenly realized I’d never turned it on after we got off the plane. Crap!

It beeped four times as it powered up. I quickly read the texts, discarding the ones informing me of Swedish networks and roaming charges, and took a deep breath when I saw two voice mails from Dad. Yikes.

“Can you ever pick up your phone? I can’t believe you planned this with Petra without me knowing! We’re on the plane now. I’ll call you when we land.”
His voice lowered.
“They’re telling me to turn off my cell—I better go. Love you. Bye.”

“And you’re still not picking up,”
he sighed. “
We’re in Paris now. I can’t believe I’m in Paris! How could you have kept this a secret from me? Anyway, I tried calling you at the DeRíses’. Fionn says you’re out with Adam for dinner and a movie. Have fun, and call me when you get this message
.”

My thoughts were jarred for a second. Petra said she’d cover for me, but taking him to Paris? Seriously?

Adam looked over at me. “Everything okay?”

I nodded, still trying to understand why Petra would do this for me.

Rían stood across the room, looking at Chloe. She walked toward him and reached out to run her hand down his bruised face, but he flinched away.

“What happened?” she whispered.

“Like you care,” Rían replied.

“You know I care. I care a lot more than I wan—” Chloe stopped abruptly and turned away as Cú caught her eye.

Cú filled up a small glass of brown liquor. “Are you going to join us, Rían?”

Rían stepped farther back and leaned against the wall. “I’m fine where I am.”

“Suit yourself.” Cú sank into an armchair beside Chloe with a sigh. “You must have many questions for us. I’m not even sure where to begin.”

Adam leaned forward. “What are you doing here? Wouldn’t it make sense for you to be based in Ireland?”

Cú shrugged. “Not really. We only intervene with the Marked when absolutely necessary. Anyway, the Marked haven’t always lived in Ireland. They’ve moved around Europe over the centuries. When the Knights were at their strongest, this was the obvious location.”

Adam frowned. “So why are you intervening now?”

“The Knox were moving in on you.”

“They’ve moved in before.”

“This time, it’s different.”

“What did you do with them?”

“The Knox? Well, the tracker, Lyonis, was taken out simply enough,” Cú said without reflection. “The rest of the Knox that were gathering when Megan was taken were chased across Europe. We got all of them, bar a few that we lost near the Sahara. We’ll get them too . . . eventually.”

I felt a little ill as an unwelcome memory of Adam’s body lying deathly still invaded my mind. I shuffled closer to him.

Adam squeezed my hand but kept his attention on Cú. “How many of them were there?”

Chloe spoke up before Cú could answer. “About fifteen, all waiting to make their move. They were only focused on Megan. It was the most sophisticated Knox operation we’ve seen. Normally they grab whomever and go, but they waited, biding their time. They’re up to something.”

Áine sighed beside me. “Aren’t they always?”

Cú shook his head. “No, this is different. They’re better organized, more disciplined.”

I shuddered. With so much going on in our lives, it was easy to forget the dangers of being Marked.

“I guess we should be thankful you’re even more skilled than they are,” Adam said quietly.

Áine shrugged. “So why disband the Knights if you’re needed? And why is Fionn so against you?”

Cú looked uncomfortable. “That is a long story, spanning decades, really. The Order of the Mark and the Marked Knights were two completely separate institutions—both existing for the Marked Ones but for two very different purposes. The Order was there to guard your history, to nurture your talents, and to protect you from discovery. We, on the other hand, were there to protect the elements at all costs. In the late 1800s, many Knox had infiltrated the Order, so much so that two of the Marked were brought up in the hands of such members. The boy and girl were being twisted and molded by the Knox, exposed to their darkness. When they turned eighteen, they broke away from the Order and disappeared into Russia.”

“Exposed to their darkness?” I repeated. “You said that earlier to Adam. What does that mean?”

Cú sighed. “This is something you should be taught by the Order, but their theory is that if the darkness is hidden from you, you are less likely to be affected by it. You see, like most things, there are two sides to your element, the light and the dark.”

“There is darkness in us?” I asked. “Like an evil?”

Cú shook his head. “Not evil, just an opposite. It’s a balance; one cannot exist without the other. You are taught to embrace the light and to use your element in a certain way, but the dark is there. It’s completely necessary and maintains the balance; the two halves are what make it possible for the element to exist in you. You must remember: Your elements are the powers of a Goddess. To her, light and dark are not good and evil, they are positive and negative. Sometimes dark deeds are essential for the greater good. But only a higher power has the ability to make that call. No human, even a Marked One, should cast judgment and use their power for destruction or dark intentions. It is the darkness that the Knox foster and then use to manipulate the Marked to their side. Do not let it trouble you. I only mentioned it because we believe strong emotional responses can trigger the imbalance. That’s part of the reason why relationships between Marked Ones are feared by the Order and the Knights.”

“Yet you don’t seem convinced,” Adam said.

Cú raised an eyebrow. “Don’t I? Look, everyone has a light and a dark to them. With the Marked, it’s just a little more complicated because there’s more at stake. But the light and the dark don’t choose you—you choose them. Alrek and Sigrid made a choice. They chose the darkness.”

I gasped. The fourth name on the list. “Sigrid?”

“Yes. That was the girl who was raised by the Knox.”

Rían’s eyes flicked to mine, then back to Cú. “What else do you know about her?”

Cú took a deep breath and plowed on. “The Order was so embarrassed by the defection that they failed to tell us until it was too late. Sigrid and Alrek were running wild through Russia, causing mayhem. The Knox had originally wanted them to be powerful enough that they could take control of the country. But Alrek and Sigrid were consumed by the darkness that they were raised to embrace. They enjoyed watching people suffer at their hands. It is said they even started the chaos on Bloody Sunday outside the Winter Palace. The Order no longer had the Amulet of Accaious, so they couldn’t remove the elements, like they’d done on previous occasions. The Knights had to intervene.” He paused and knocked back the remnants of his drink. “For us, the decision was simple: Sigrid and Alrek needed to be destroyed so that the elements could be passed down. But Alrek and Sigrid got word of the plan to take them out, and they decided to take out the Knights instead.

“They managed to wipe out over half of the Knights who had gathered for the mission. My great-great-grandfather, Ruben Christenson, was stationed at an exit that wasn’t clearly visible. While Alrek and Sigrid were busy massacring the main body of Knights, Ruben drew his sword and killed them both, releasing the elements. The Order has been more careful and less cocky since that time, but they never forgave the Knights for killing two Marked Ones. The Knights eventually disbanded without financial aid from the Order, and Ruben Christenson was villainized.”

“Which is why Fionn is so against the Knights?” Áine asked.

“Yes. Fionn is Order through and through, and he hates that the blood of the Knights runs in him.” Cú exhaled heavily. “When Emma and Stephen DeRís were killed, it became apparent that the Order had once again become unsafe. A small pocket of the Order, knowing what they were faced with, quietly reinstated the Knights in order to offer protection if it was needed.”

“A small pocket,” Adam repeated. “Does that mean not everyone in the Order is aware the Knights have been reinstated?”

Cú nodded. “Yes. After all, there are still many who would not support the decision.”

Adam half smiled. “You said earlier that we shouldn’t trust anyone, especially you. So why should we believe you now?”

“Trust and truth are two very different things. What I’m offering now is truth. Trust must be earned, and someday I hope I can do just that.”

My mind raced as I glanced over at Chloe, then back at Cú. “How about a few truths, then?” I said.

Cú raised his chin to the challenge.

“You knew Chloe was involved with Rían. Why did you hide that from the Knights?”

He looked at me for a few moments, as if gathering his thoughts. “There are two answers to your question.” He raised his finger in the air. “One: Interaction with the Marked is strictly forbidden. If the other Knights were to find out how close Chloe was to you all, she’d have to face a hearing, and might even lose her star.” He formed a V with his fingers. “And two: I needed her to bring you here without the Order knowing or the Knights realizing Chloe was working on a different directive.”

“You orchestrated this?” Rían spat, glaring at Chloe. “You planned the whole thing?”