Gods of Chaos (Red Magic) (21 page)

I felt an irrational desire to blow something up. The red sparks surged up my arms, covering me from fingertip to shoulder. My skin was smoking, and I realized that even if I needed to defend myself, I couldn’t hold that much Red magic for that long. Annoyed, I knelt to the floor and pressed my palms to the boards, picturing the earth beneath the house as I let the magic seep out of my hands. When I looked up, everyone was staring at me.

Dr. Farren smiled slightly. “She does. See how she didn’t just blast us to smithereens?”

Frederick snorted. “But she could. She’s a loose cannon, Talia.”

“Look, stop talking about me like I’m not here. Who has Izzy, if not Hecate?”

Dr. Farren looked down at her hands, refusing to meet my gaze. I glared around the room, but no one answered my question. What were they hiding?

“Do you know what Hecate plans to do with you, child, should she have you in her hands?” Frances’s voice was soft, and I thought I saw a tear in the corner of her eye.

“When she had Rochelle try to kill me in the fall,” I began unsteadily, “Rochelle said she’d been promised that she’d become the next Red Witch to take my place.” Glancing around nervously, I went on, “I would assume that she wants to replace me with someone who suits her purposes.”

“Ah, yes, her purposes.” Samuel stood straighter and took a step toward me. “And just what do you believe she wants, Darlena?”

I glanced at Dr. Farren, who nodded slightly. “I think she wants enough chaos to end the world.” I licked my lips.

Their stunned faces made me feel like I’d just said the most ridiculous thing, but thankfully Dr. Farren came to my defense.

“We have been worried about such an event. There are many cases throughout mythology of different gods wishing to cleanse a civilization and start over. Usually when those gods are feeling neglected.”

I jumped in. “But civilizations don’t exist in isolation anymore, so for this to have any effect, they need to attack the global society as a whole.” I thought about the strange winter back home in North Carolina. “Has the weather been odd here lately?”

They looked at each other, and after a moment, Dr. Farren nodded. “There have been more rainstorms than usual, even for Scotland.”

I nodded. “It’s an unusually cold winter in North Carolina, too. My mom says she’s never seen anything quite like it.”

“So the weather might be a sign that things are out of balance.” Her eyes met mine, and I felt a rush of relief that at least somebody was willing to listen to me.

“Izzy and I were trying to figure out a way to bind Hecate. We hadn’t thought of any other way to stop her, and now she’s missing.” My throat caught, and I realized that I was more worried about Izzy than I’d let on. This wasn’t just about stopping Hecate anymore; the Blue Witch had begun to be my friend, and I couldn’t sacrifice another friend.

Samuel frowned. “First, you tell us that the gods are plotting an apocalypse. Then you toss off the suggestion that trapping Hecate would be the solution to all this. Do you have any idea how irreverent you sound?”

I shrugged, nonplused. “If Hecate can’t influence events, maybe I can work to stop any chaos she sets in motion. Otherwise, she just keeps getting in my way.”

Julia leaned forward. “Is that how you use Red magic? I always thought it was about destruction and fire.”

I shook my head. “It can be, but I’ve also been able to use it to bring a sort of balance. Death will still happen; chaos is just a part of life, like it or not. But if the Red Witches used our magic to spread out the natural effects of chaos, we might be able to find a more positive balance.” I took a deep breath. “Last fall, I stopped a hurricane from making landfall.”

They gaped at me for a moment. “That was dangerous,” Dr. Farren finally said.

“I know. It’s what made Hecate turn on me for real.”

“I begin to understand why you sought help from Marcus, but how did you get Isadora mixed up in all of this?”

Frederick’s question made me look down at my hands. In a quiet voice, I confessed, “I thought Izzy would help me get closer to Marcus. He’d been pretty clear that he didn’t want anything to do with me, but Izzy, well … ”

I risked looking up. Frances stared at me pityingly, but Samuel had a look of rage on his face.

“So you used the girl. Just like a Red,” he spat.

Gods, I wanted to blast him and show him what a Red could really do. I struggled to get a grip on my anger. “I didn’t mean to! I mean, yes,” I amended, “I meant to use her to get to Marcus. But Izzy was so funny and smart, and the things she said about Blue magic! I never knew there were any other magics. I didn’t even know Red existed until I made my declaration.”

“Ignorance is no excuse.” Samuel’s words felt like a death sentence, but none of the other Witches moved.

I glared at him. “Besides, I need all the help I can get. And Izzy was willing to help me.”

“Until your presence threatened her. You’re disgusting, Miss Agara.” Samuel’s words hung in the air, and I risked a glance at the rest of the Coven. Most of them were expressionless, but Julia wore a matching expression to Samuel, and Frances wouldn’t meet my eyes.

I gulped. “What I don’t understand,” I said, turning to Dr. Farren and trying to ignore the rest of them, “is why did Hecate take Izzy? I mean, she was helping me, but this seems a little … extreme.”

“How much do you know about Izzy’s patron, Isis?” Julia interrupted.

I shrugged. “Only what Izzy told me.”

“Do you know, for example, that Isis spent years searching for her husband’s remains?”

I wrinkled up my nose. “No, I didn’t.”

“Or,” Julia continued, “that her husband was murdered by Set, her brother, who is also a Red god?”

I shuddered, starting to understand. “I don’t know the story.”

Dr. Farren sighed. “Isadora is unique. Remember that we told you she was sworn to Isis before birth?”

I nodded. Marcus and Izzy’s mother had really screwed things up for her children.

“Well,” Dr. Farren hesitated, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Samuel shake his head. What was that about? Dr. Farren cleared her throat and continued. “Your friend is a uniquely powerful Witch. Let’s just leave it at that. She is very precious to her patron. If there’s a war brewing between the gods,” I bristled at the emphasis she placed on the word if, but she went on, “then Isadora would be a valuable hostage. Whoever has her doesn’t want her to get involved in this fight.”

Or they just don’t want her to help me. My certainty that Hecate was behind Izzy’s disappearance strengthened, and I clenched my fists in anger. “Do many of the other gods know about Izzy’s relationship with Isis?”

There was a tense silence, and then Dr. Farren nodded. “Isis made no secret of the love she bears for your friend. Their relationship has angered gods in the past, but none have ever acted on it.”

“Until now.” Julia’s voice was mournful.

“So Izzy is powerful, and now she’s gone.” They stared at me like I was an idiot, and I sighed, exasperated. “Don’t you think that’s even more reason for us to get her back?”

Dr. Farren stared at me levelly. “As a hostage, it is likely that whoever has taken her has done everything in his power to isolate her from her patron. It will be nearly impossible to rescue her if she can’t access her own magic.”

Frances sniffled. “That poor little girl. As good as dead.”

I could only stare around the room for a moment, but then I recovered and glared at the Coven. “We have to help her!” I stood up, waiting for the other Witches to agree with me.

No one spoke for a moment, but then Frederick shook his head.

“It’s too dangerous. Isadora will either escape, or not.” Frances looked ashamed of her husband as he spoke, but she nodded after a moment.

“But that’s not fair! She needs help. I don’t care how much Isis loves her; she won’t be able to fight the gods.” I couldn’t add Izzy’s death to my conscience; I had to persuade them to help me.

“No,” Samuel said, his eyes steely. “Only a Red would dare stand against the gods. So you can see why you must stay out of it.” He paused, thinking. “Marcus’s disappearance makes a certain amount of sense, now.”

I started to argue, but he cut me off.

“If, as you say, Hecate wishes to upset the balance of the world, don’t you realize that rushing off to rescue your friend would be a gift? She’d have you then, with no struggle.”

“So you admit that Hecate probably has Izzy!” I glared at him triumphantly. “All the more reason we have to save her.”

“Slow down, girl. I admit nothing; it is merely obvious that whoever has taken Isadora could use her as a bargaining chip with Hecate. If you rush off after her, her captors would claim an even richer prize. Do you think for one minute that you would be safe in the hands of any of the gods of chaos?”

Something about his words made me pause. “Gods of chaos?” I looked around the room, but no one met my eye. “You know who has her!”

“Perhaps. And perhaps not. But we will not share that knowledge with you.”

Dr. Farren glared at Samuel like she wanted to argue with him, but she didn’t say anything. Once again, I got the feeling he was the leader of the Coven, and his decision would bind the rest of them. I ignored him and appealed to Dr. Farren. “I can’t let Izzy … I have to help her.”

“Very noble, but also very foolish. Think before you act, Darlena.” Dr. Farren looked at me sternly.

I stayed silent, but my mind was made up. I would find Izzy. It was my fault she was in this situation, and I’d get her out. Whichever gods of chaos had her would be no match for me. Red sparks surged up my arms for a moment, and I felt Samuel’s eyes on me as I stalked out of the farmhouse.

When Dr. Farren dropped me off in Edinburgh that evening, she hesitated like she wanted to say something. I didn’t want to hear more of her cautious lecturing, so I slammed the door and waved as fast as I could. She shook her head, but she drove off without speaking.

As I passed the reception desk, the clerk stopped me.

“Miss Agara, there have been three messages for you.”

Messages?
“Are you sure?”

He nodded politely and handed me three crisp sheets of hotel stationary, folded in half. I thanked him, and headed to the privacy of my room.

The first note was from my mother. She’d called the hotel earlier that day, and the only message she left was that she’d call back. My heart clenched with loneliness, and I realized how homesick I was. I really wanted to talk to Mom about everything I’d learned in the countryside, but I should probably read the other two messages first.

One was from Justin. It was short and to the point: “We need to talk.” I wondered what the hotel clerk had thought when he wrote down that message! I’d obviously neglected everyone the past few days if even Justin was calling the hotel looking for me. The thought of hearing his voice again was comforting, and I debated for a minute between calling Justin before I called Mom. I glanced at the last message as I picked up my phone, and my skin started to tingle.

“Meet me there, same place, same time, tonight.” There was no name signed to the message, but I was sure it must be from Izzy. Who else had I met anywhere while I’d been in Scotland? Maybe she’d managed to escape! For a minute, my pulse sped up. Where would she want to meet? It must be the cemetery, I reasoned; I hadn’t met her anywhere else, other than the school, and I doubted she’d invite me there. If the message was a trap, I’d just have to be careful, but my instinct said the message was genuine, and I felt giddy with relief.