Carrier 02: Shadow of the Mark (23 page)

“Chloe, the Sidhe’s whispers . . . they say to get out.”

“What are you talking about? The safest place for us is in here, quick,” Chloe demanded.

I fought against the voices telling me to leave and struggled toward the house. Just as I reached the door, a brown, dusty haze fluttered in front of me, like a mass of dust particles caught in the sunlight, hanging in the air.
Now, get out now!
The dust shuddered and combined, taking on form. A grainy version of the Sidhe materialized, but just as he opened his mouth, the dust vanished, revealing Matthew standing in the doorway. My blood ran cold.

“Megan, what are you still doing out here? Chloe wants you inside.” He smiled and held out his hand.

I eyed it suspiciously. “Something’s wrong.” I stumbled on the step, and Matthew reached out and steadied me. The Sidhe had tried to warn me, had attempted to appear to me. But it had all stopped. Now all I felt was the sting of danger in my Mark.

“Megan, I’m sure everything will be okay. Come inside and sit down until we can find the others.”

I nodded warily and let him lead me into the kitchen.

Caitlin’s face was pale. “Megan, I’m scared.”

Chloe ran down the hall, slinging a leather harness over her shoulder. In the holder was a silver sword of intricate Celtic design. She checked rooms and shut doors behind her. In the kitchen, she climbed onto the counter and peered out the window. “There isn’t anyone in the immediate vicinity. I need you all in an interior room. I’ll keep watch.”

“No, you won’t.”

I turned just in time to see Matthew pick up Rían’s hurley club and swing it at Chloe’s head. The hard white ash made contact with a sickening thud.

The impact threw Chloe forward, but she remained upright as if suspended by an invisible thread. The next few seconds felt like an eternity as I waited for Chloe to draw her sword and swoop around. She didn’t. Instead, she slumped to the side, her head smacking on the countertop. Then time sped to normal, and my hearing kicked in. I wished it hadn’t. All I could hear was Caitlin’s scream as Chloe fell from the counter and slammed into the cold, hard tiles. She twitched for a moment and then went still.

I dragged my eyes from Chloe to Matthew. He stood with the club resting on his shoulder, wearing a grim face.

“Shit! I’ve never hit a girl before,” he said, his voice a little tight. “I just meant to knock her out.”

Anger seared through me. I threw out my arms, calling on my element. A wind swirled from my hands and shot at him, but just as it got to Matthew, it seemed to split in two, and instead of hitting him, it knocked Caitlin off her feet and broke the window on Matthew’s other side.

Matthew’s mouth turned up into a wry smile. “I’m afraid that isn’t going to help you.”

My heart thudded, and my mouth went dry. I didn’t need to see it. I could feel it. Matthew had the amulet. “You’ve been Knox all this time?”

Caitlin, winded and trying to catch her breath, shuffled toward Chloe on her hands and knees. “Wha . . . ,” she gasped. “How could you?”

Matthew’s face softened as he crouched down beside Caitlin. He ran his hand through her hair and down the side of her stricken face. “Caitie, I’m sorry. This was never supposed to involve you. You shouldn’t even be here.”

Caitlin cringed away from his touch.

“You’re Knox,” I spat. “How did we not detect you before?”

His face crinkled in disgust as he drew in a sharp breath. “I’m not Knox!” He shuddered. “I’m Order, born and raised. I’m one of the good guys. The Knox are a filthy group of power-hungry Anú worshippers. Seriously.” He looked genuinely insulted. “Can you see me worshipping Anú Knox? She’s one creepy chica.” He laughed a little maniacally.

“She’s creepy, Matthew, really? Anú’s been dead for centuries.”

I blocked out Caitlin’s quiet sobbing, trying to call on my element again, but through my element, I could nearly taste the shield around him.

“I told you, you’re wasting your time.” He reached under his T-shirt and pulled out the amulet. “Fionn should have let the Order put this in the crypt.” He picked up the stone and gazed at it. “Such fuss over a stupid necklace. Oh, and FYI, Anú is alive and well and, as luck would have it, is waiting to meet you.”

“That’s crap! Where are the DeRíses?”

“They’re with Anú, of course.” Matthew lifted Caitlin by the arm and gently pulled her away from Chloe. “Come on, girls, we’re going for a little walk.” He motioned with his head toward the door. “Ladies first.”

I moved toward the scullery, scanning around me for anything I could use as a weapon.

“Don’t even think about it, Megan,” Matthew said behind me. “I’ve got Caitlin and a hurley, and I’d prefer not to use it on her.”

Caitlin let out a sob.

“Nothing personal, Caitie. Let’s just get through this, and we’ll all go our separate ways, okay?”

We headed through the yard and into the fields behind the DeRíses’ home.

I turned and caught Matthew’s eye. “Why are you doing this?”

“Because I deserve better, that’s why!” He sighed. “Look, I put up with all of the Order’s shit. I agreed to become Áine’s intended. I played by the rules. All I wanted was the easy life, and up until now, I got that.”

We continued in silence across the field, the green of the grass fading to dark gray as evening descended. Grass long enough to graze our knees swayed in the light breeze that rolled in from the sea. The binding feeling of the amulet was claustrophobic. My element fought for control inside me; it wanted to attack Matthew, but it kept bouncing inward.

The sound of Caitlin whimpering made me swing around. She was slumped on the ground. “What is going on?” she said, burying her face in her hands. “Chloe could be dying, and we just left her.” She looked up at Matthew with tears streaming down her face. “How can you do this? I don’t understand.”

“Don’t waste your time worrying about a Knight,” he muttered, hauling Caitlin back up.

“Get off me!” she shrieked, aiming her elbow at his nose and striking hard.

Matthew let go and grabbed at his nose as Caitlin seized her opportunity and ran to me, gripping my arm. “Run, Megan! Run!” But before she could go any farther, he dived forward and grabbed her leg. She fell with a thud into the grass.

“Don’t try that again!” Matthew roared. “I’m not going to have a stupid bitch like you ruin this for me. Now move it!” He looked at his watch. “They’re waiting for us.”

We started forward again and crossed the stream at the bottom of the valley, working our way up the hill on the other side. It led to a flat section of the field that we used for alignment practice.

I snuck a peek at Caitlin, who was walking obediently beside Matthew, her arm locked in his grip. The bloodstained hurley rested on his shoulder like he was out for a casual Sunday stroll. Then something moved just behind them, catching my attention. The grass twitched, and a blond head flicked up for a second. Chloe! She was alive. I couldn’t let Matthew see her. I needed to keep his attention on me.

“Why turn on the Order now?”

He shrugged. “Do you have any idea what it’s like to grow up in a privileged world? It was great. I had everything I wanted: education, cars, holidays, and money . . . lots of money. All I had to do in return was marry Áine, but she flat-out refused. I’ve become very attached to my trust fund.”

“This is about MONEY?” I gasped.

“Oh, don’t be so shocked. You didn’t really expect me to give up my way of life just because Áine decided she wasn’t going to have me, did you? Oh, I agreed to play along. I even thought we might get away with it, but that Hugh guy saw right through me. He told the Order I was unfit to be Áine’s intended. I was going to lose everything—my scholarship, my trust fund, the lot! A guy from the Order offered me a deal: The Knox couldn’t get near you with your precious echoed lands and amulet, but if I could get the Knox the amulet and the Marked Ones, he said the Order would honor the trust.”

“Someone in the Order asked you to do this? Who?” I scanned the long grass for Chloe but didn’t see her. “It’s not too late, you know. Get rid of the amulet, free my power, and I can help the DeRíses. We can work this out.”

He nudged me on again. “You know as well as I do there’s no going back. Besides, Anú promised me a bonus on delivery. All I want is the money, and I’m outta here.”

“Don’t you even care what will happen to us? And to Caitlin?”

“Honestly? I do feel a little bad, but I’m not sorry. This is my ticket out, and I’m taking it. Look, you don’t have to get hurt. Just give Anú what she wants.”

“You know the Knights won’t let this go.”

He laughed. “The Knights will have bigger problems than me. Don’t you see? The
Order
is doing this. They’ve orchestrated everything. That Anú bird wants her element back.”

“Don’t you care at all what will happen if the elemental power falls into the wrong hands?”

He shrugged. “Not really. This has been going on forever.”

We had almost reached the practice field. A blond streak flickered across the bark of a tree before disappearing into the woods.

“How did you take the others?”

“Don’t worry, I didn’t hurt them. Adam, the idiot, was desolate and teary-eyed—sorry, Megan, but you could do
way
better—and they were all so preoccupied with consoling him. I just slipped the drugs the Order gave me into their tea. The Knox did the rest.”

His mockery dripped like molasses from a spoon, making me want to suck the breath from his lungs and allow the nothingness to suffocate him. The ache to hurt him became unbearable.

“They didn’t put up much of a fight,” he said.

“You mean they couldn’t put up much of a fight.”

“Well, actually, I lie. Fionn put on a good show. He’s a feisty old dog.”

Caitlin sobbed, looking from me to Matthew, suddenly seeming small and fragile. I dug my nails into my palms. The pain helped me focus.

We came to the break in the trees that marked the end of the echoed land. A shiver ran through me as I stepped beyond the protection; the magical boundary was almost palpable in the face of the unknown.

F
resh tire tracks in the mud led us to two SUVs parked next to a ditch. My eyes flickered over their tinted windows, trying to locate Fionn and the DeRíses.

“Keep moving,” Matthew ordered, putting a hand on my back and shoving me forward.

I gasped as Randel swooped down from the trees and smacked Matthew’s head. Matthew grabbed him by the wing and tossed him to the side, where he landed awkwardly. “You know what, Randel? You’re the most annoying of the whole lot of them!” He lashed at him with his foot, but Randel hopped out of the way.

As we passed the cars, I noticed some people huddled farther down the ditch line. My heart beat triple-time when I recognized Adam lying on the grass. Rían and Áine were beside him, a man resting a boot on Rían’s head.

“Ticktock.” I recognized the voice instantly. “Time is of the essence.” I spun around, looking for the girl who invaded my mind. My eyes fixed on a darkened window that hummed to a close.

Suddenly we were surrounded. Five people jumped from the cars and fanned out around us. Matthew shoved Caitlin toward me. I reached out and grabbed her quivering arms. The back door of an SUV opened, and Fionn was thrown to the ground. His face was a sea of blood and swelling. His arms were bound and he struggled to stand, but his legs gave way and he fell to his knees.

A strangled sob escaped from my throat. I felt powerless as I clung to Caitlin, gazing into the dark recesses of the SUV, needing to put a face to the one who had taunted me.

“Bring it here,” the voice sang.

Matthew walked to the car and pulled the amulet over his head. “I told you I’d get her.”

“Shut up and give it to me,” the voice demanded. A tiny white hand lashed out from the darkness and snatched the amulet from his hands before disappearing back into the shadows.

My eyes darted to Adam, Rían, and Áine. Their eyes were open. They were alive but lay like they were paralyzed. Rían didn’t even struggle when the guy who had his boot on his face leaned in farther so that his heel was in Rían’s eye.

“Finally, I have it back,” the voice cooed.

“And me?” Matthew said, putting his foot up on the edge of the car. “I get a bonus, right?”

“Bring her to me,” the voice whispered.

Matthew stepped back and stretched out his arm to me. “There she is, in all her fourth glory.” He winked.

The stupid idiot. Does he really think he’s going to walk away from this?

Matthew signaled for me to join him. I ignored him and held tight to Caitlin. “Megan! Don’t leave Anú waiting.” He smirked.

Anú! It’s not possible!

“Come, child,” she instructed.

I glanced over at Fionn. I didn’t know what to do.

“Anú spoke to you, girl!” a man behind me shouted before hitting me sharply between the shoulder blades.

I let Caitlin go and shuffled to the car.

“Turn around,” Anú commanded as I approached the door. I slowly faced away from her.

From the corner of my eye, I saw a frail white hand reach out and grab my hair, pulling it up and revealing my neck. I shuddered as the cold skin of her finger followed the outline of my Mark. I swung around and tried to knock her hand away, but one of the guards caught my arm in a tight grip. He held my wrist and pulled me upward, nearly lifting me off the ground.

“Let go of me,” I hissed through gritted teeth. I called on my element. I might not be able to use my power on the bearer of the amulet, but I was sure as hell going to use it on the others. I wrapped the air tight around the man’s throat. He released my arm as I squeezed the air tighter, watching as he pulled and clawed at his neck and gasped for breath. He stumbled back, wide-eyed, turning purple. I swirled the air around us, knocking the other guards off their feet.

Eerie, childlike laughter came from the car. “Enough!”

I didn’t let go of my element’s grip, and the wind continued to rage around us.

“She said ENOUGH!” A guard grabbed Caitlin and held a glinting blade under her chin.