Queen of the Magnetland (The Elemental Phases Book 5) (33 page)

Mara
hesitated, feeling tight and exposed and needing… more.

His
purple gaze stayed on hers.  “Just let go, princess.  Don’t be afraid.  We were
made for this.”  His energy tugged at hers enticingly.

She
gave uncertain cry, poised right on the brink of something so big and so
real
that it scared her.

“Believe
in us.  Fight for us.  We can do this together.”  His voice changed, becoming a
vow.  “Let go and I will catch you, Mara.  I
swear
it.

Mara
met his eyes.

Chason
stared back.  “Trust me.”

She
bit her lip and… let go.

For
the first time ever, her energy poured out without restraint.

“Yes,
yes,
yes
.”  Chason seized every drop of it with his own powers.  “
Mara!
” 
He bellowed.  He came deep inside of her, driving her own orgasm even higher.

Mara
screamed in pleasure.

Magnet
energy met Magnet energy, combining into something bigger than she’d ever
imagined.  It was bright and beautiful and magical.  Like the fireworks they’d
danced under on their Phazing Day.  It was huge and complete and the way it
always should have been.  No space or distance between them.  Just Mara and
Chason: a united whole.  It was what she’d always wanted.

Honestly,
it was… perfect.

Mara
laughed with wonder and collapsed against the forest floor, blanketed in the
amazing new sensations and Chason’s spent body.

So
that
was Phazing.

***

Chason
lay on the soft grass of the Light Kingdom’s vast forest and listened to the
quiet sounds of silence.  It was a miracle not to hear the constant noise in
his head.  To know that everything around him was real.  To not hate being
alive.

He
turned his head to look at Mara.

She
was the miracle.

Mara’s
mouth curved, her black eyes still glowing with the millions of multicolored
sparks that had lit-up when they Phazed.  She was the most beautiful sight he’d
ever seen.  And now he had
all
of her.

“I
think I lost the movie you got me somewhere between here and the store.”  She
gave him a shy smile.  “Gene Kelly just doesn’t hold a candle to you.”

“I’ll
steal you another copy.”

“
Buy
me another copy.”

Her
righteous determination to protect the humans’ property was adorable.  “Buy.” 
He agreed.  He would literally have agreed to anything she asked.  Even with
the wound in his chest that had nearly killed him, Chason had never felt better
in his life.  “The gap in our energy is gone.”  He pointed out, because it
was
and it was important that she feel it, too.

“I
know.”  She whispered.  “It feels… better.”

It
felt whole.  Like they were finally as they were always meant to be.  Complete
and solid and one.

“Don’t
leave me.”  He couldn’t stop saying it.  “Not ever again.”

“I
won’t.”  She hesitated.  “Would you really have still wanted me if I wasn’t
your Match?”

“You
know
that I did.  Either way, you and I would’ve been naked and happy
sometime today.”

She
liked that.  “I’d want you either way, too.”  She arched a brow.  “But, I like
you best just the way you are now.”

Obviously. 
She’d held back from the old, honorable Chason.  He’d seen it.  The new
not-quite-sane version of her Match, she gave everything to with barely a
moment’s hesitation.  He asked for trust and she just handed it to him, body
and soul.  She’d decided that he was worth the risk.  Worth all the mess and
struggle and fight.

It
was humbling.

“I’m
sorry, I held back before.”  Mara continued.  “It was my fault.  All of it.  I
was scared and I…”

“I
don’t think we were ever a Match before.”  He interrupted seriously.  “That’s
why you held back and why we never quite fit.  The people we are
now
are
the real Match.  You were waiting for
me
.”

Black
eyes met his.  “I’ve waited for you my whole life, Chason, of the Magnet
House.”

“I
love you, Mara.”  There was just nothing else he could say.

“I
love you, too.”  She gave him a kiss.  “Now, take me home, so I can get some
real clothes.”

She’d
just called the Magnetland “home” without even thinking about it.  Chason’s
heart turned over in his chest.  “I brought you here, because I thought it
would make you happy.”

He’d
never been to the Light Kingdom before.  That had been a huge personal
failing.  He’d been jealous of the land’s hold on Mara, instead of trying to
share it with her.  He looked around and realized that it was beautiful.  An
endless rainforest stretched out in all directions, the light filtering through
the leaves and casting delicate shadows on the soft ground.

Of
course Mara would come from a place full of life.

It
occurred to him that they could take some seedlings from this jungle and
replant them in the Magnet Kingdom.  Lansing had ripped out all his mother’s
trees, but Chason could put them back.  He could repair what had been destroyed
by neglect.  Something new could grow, combining his homeland with Mara’s.  His
mother may have liked that idea.

“I’m
happy anywhere with you, darling.”  Mara sat up and stretched.  “But, while I
love the Light Kingdom, there are all kinds of bugs here that I now feel in my
hair.”  She ran a hand through her dark tresses.  “Also there’s no running
water.”  She sent him a pointed look.  “We need to have hot water back in the
Magnet Fortress, by the way.  I grew with ‘rustic’ accommodations and I have no
desire to ever live without electricity again.”

“I’ll
have it fixed immediately.”  Chason promised.

There
was so much he needed to have fixed in the Magnet Kingdom.  Luckily, he had a
very organized and determined queen to help him do it.  Mara was going to wish
she could just go back to planning parties, once she grasped that she was now an
equal partner in ruling their mess of a kingdom.

Chason
stood up and grabbed his pants.  “I don’t think it’s safe for you to go home,
yet.  Not until we know what Vandal wants from you.”

Her
mouth thinned.  “I’d almost
rather
he just show up so we could kill him.”

Chason
smiled at her tone.  Mara’s dark side was such a delight.

“It’s
not funny!  He
shot
you, Chason!”  She blinked back tears.  “I won’t be
satisfied until Vandal pays for what he did to you.  There was so much blood I
thought you were going to die right there in my arms.”

“I’m
sorry.”  He quickly sobered.  “You’re right.  We’ll make him pay.”  Chason
would gladly kill the man for making Mara cry, but first he had to find him. 
“Do the other Light Phases know Vandal’s alive?”

“I
doubt it.  He was Banished long before I was born.  I don’t think anyone left
has even met him.  We can ask Kahn, though.”  She bit her lower lip.  “I need
to see my cousin as soon as possible, before someone else tells him I’m alive. 
If Kahn hears it from anyone but me, I don’t know what his reaction might be.”

Chason
could certainly guess.  Kahn, of the Light House wasn’t known for his level head
or tempered responses.  “I don’t think anybody has the guts to show up here and
try to tell him that you aren’t dead.”  He pointed out truthfully.  “He scares
people.”

“If
everyone just saw how sweet Kahn is under his grouchy exterior, they’d know he
isn’t nearly as intimidating as he seems.”

“Keep
telling yourself that.”  Chason leaned down to kiss the top of her head.  “I’ll
go get you some clothes and we can talk to Kahn, alright? 
Don’t move.
”

He
jumped back to the Magnet Kingdom.

***

Mara
laid back on the grass and let out a contented sigh.  Her energy had never felt
so complete.  So
right
.  Connected with Chason’s powers, she felt like
the missing pieces of her life had been filled in and that everything was… more. 
She was so happy and so
satisfied
.  Finally, her life was coming
together and she was….

Mara’s
thoughts trailed off, her attention riveted on the dense foliage of the three hundred
foot tall trees.  Glowing words, written in Light, appeared on the green
canopy, repeated thousands of times as far as the eye could see.

Vandal.

His
message was the equivalent of taking over every television station and blaring
a commercial at full blast to reach at single viewer.  From the power of it,
she could tell it was being broadcast over every kingdom at once.  And there
was no missing his target audience.

Queen
of the Magnetland,

I
have your cousin.

Come
to the Sacred Ruins and fulfill your destiny or Kahn will perish by my sword.

You
have one minute to comply.

There is a
certain element of style in all the pagan things.

Henry
James- “A Little Tour in France”

Kahn
stared at Mara.

Mara
stared at Kahn.

All
in all, their reunion could’ve been handled in a better way.  For instance,
with Kahn not standing in some futuristic purplish energy cage thing.  And Mara
not wearing grass stained hospital scrubs while facing down an armed lunatic. 
And maybe with someone else there to help break the news to Kahn gently.

As
if was, Mara stepped into the clearing and simply said, “I’m here.”

Kahn
didn’t say anything.

He
just… stared.

Her
cousin looked pretty much the same as he had the last time she’d seen him, only
harder and dirtier.  Mara had no idea how Vandal
possibly
could’ve
captured him, but she knew he was going to be pissed.

She
gave Kahn a reassuring smile and looked back at Vandal.  “Let him go.”

“When
you achieve your purpose.”  He nodded towards the transparent force field
keeping Kahn prisoner.  It was just tall enough to hold him and shaped like a
dome, with flowing bolts of glowing energy traveling down its sides.  “I am
told he’s the one who creates that thing, at some point in the future.  Ironic,
isn’t it?”

That
didn’t surprise her.  Kahn loved to craft weapons.  Mara flashed her cousin a
“maybe you should reconsider
that
invention” look.

Kahn’s
expressionless face didn’t change.  Unblinking black eyes stayed fixed on her
face.  He clearly wasn’t taking this well.

Mara
sighed and refocused on Vandal.  “What do you want from me?”

Behind
him, the oldest structures in the Elemental realm stood amid the vines.  The
ruins had been built long before the Phases existed, their exact purpose a
mystery.  The nine giant stones looming at odd angles, their granite sides
carved deep with complex markings.  They formed a rough circle and, at the
center, nothing grew.  Not even grass.  In a kingdom full of trees and
vegetation that small clearing of dark earth had always seemed ominous to Mara. 
She’d never liked being around the primeval stones.

The
power they gave off was… unsettling.

“I
want you to meet your fate.”  Vandal pointed to the runes with a wave of that
horrible gun.  He was wearing a bandage over his eyes from where Chason’s
attack had wounded him.  “This is the path to our true future and you are the
key.”

“Our
path is through stone?”  Mara asked skeptically.

“It’s
a gate, Magnet Queen.  And with your help I can see it opened.”

Now,
why did that seem like a very bad idea?  “Where does the gate lead?”

Vandal
smiled like a shark.  “To the Dark King.”  His voice was an echo of reverent
power.

“The
Dark King?”  Again, that just didn’t sound good.  “Cross, of the Shadow House,
you mean?”

“Not
Shadows!”  Vandal waved that aside in disgust.  “
Real
Darkness, you
fool!  The other side of coin from the Light.  Our
destiny
.”

“There
is no Dark House or Dark King.”  Mara was certain of that.  Darkness came from
the Shadowland and nowhere else.  “This gate can’t lead you to someone who
doesn’t exist.”

“He
will
exist.”  Vandal hissed.  “It is foretold and this gateway is the
first step to his ascension.”  He pointed the nearest stone.  “Read.”

“I
beg your pardon?”

“Read
them!”  He bellowed.  “You’re the only one who can!”  He gestured towards the
monoliths.  “The writing here is a mixture of ancient Light Phase, and the
language of the gods, and something else.  Something
different
than the
boxes, so it’s impossible for even the divine to translate.  Only a scholar of
words could decipher a message this old. 
You
are the key.”

Mara
blinked.  This was all because she studied linguistics? 
That’s
what he
wanted from her?  To read some silly prophesy on an archeological site?

Well,
that wasn’t so hard.

Her
best course of action seemed to be to translate the ruins and stall Vandal
until Chason showed up.  Her Match had to have seen Vandal’s light-message
ordering Mara to meet him at the stones, so Chason would come for her.  She’d drawn
a quick map so he could find ruins and left it lying on the grass where they’d
Phazed.  He was sure to see it, even if the instructions weren’t exactly GPS
coordinates and the forest itself was basically infinite.

It
wouldn’t make a difference, though.

Chason
would be there within five minutes.  There wasn’t a doubt in her mind.

In
the meantime, Mara looked at the largest stone.  It was about ten feet high and
covered top to bottom in a complex series of hieroglyphics that would probably
take her years to translate completely.  Vandal wouldn’t like hearing that, so
she tried to pick out the main parts of the text.

Her
eyes skimmed the first line.  It looked to begin with the ancient Light Phase
number one and a symbol that meant something like wisdom.  A row of dense
writing followed, in a mishmash of languages.  Sacred artifacts were often
covered in melodramatic admonitions.  She couldn’t read all of it, but she
could understand enough to know the general meaning.

“That
symbol doesn’t mean destiny.”  She pointed upward.  “Not exactly.  It’s foretelling
a fated event that will change everything, but it’s about a
person
setting
it in motion.  Someone chosen to do something great… or horrible.”  Translating
so quickly was subjective, but the main marking was fairly clear.  “It’s a
warning.  A warning to use reason.  To consider carefully.  Maybe to turn back.”

“Turn
back?!”

“Yes,
that’s how I interpret the words.  It’s not an exact science, but…”

Vandal
cut her off.  “Gaia’s messenger came to me and told me that this was the road
to Darkness.  I
have
been chosen, but
to go
forward
.”

“A
messenger told you that?”  She considered asking if it had been Elvis.

“Yes! 
From the future.”

Oh,
that made more sense.  Kind of.  “Was it Daphne, of the Time House?”

Vandal’s
eyebrows compressed.  “Who?”

Mara
hesitated.  He looked legitimately confused.  If Daphne it wasn’t the one
giving him the weapons and information, then who was it?

“Read
the other stones.”  Vandal ordered.

“Alright,
listen to me.”  Mara switched to her most sensible tone.  “Why ever this circle
was built, its purpose is long dead.  It was most likely a holy place for some
lost religion.  I could decipher the stones, given enough time, but I don’t
think they can give you the answers you’re looking for.”

“They
will tell me of the Dark King!”

The
man was out of his mind.

“I
swear on my life, I don’t see anything written on them about Darkness.  The
symbol for that would be very distinct.”  Her eyes scanned around the ruins,
just to humor him.  Where was Chason?  “It would probably be a circle with a
line coming down from the bottom that….”

“There!” 
Vandal gestured to a stone that was marked with the number four.  “This one
begins with that symbol.”

“No,
that means love.”  Her gaze traced over the text.  “It’s saying love creates
the only righteous entry or true door or something along those lines.  It’s a
nice sentiment, but…”

Vandal
grabbed her arm and his fingers biting into her arm.  “Read another one!”  He
jerked her towards stone number seven.  “What does this one say?”

Mara
considered lying, but she wasn’t sure what he even wanted to hear.  Since all
of this was gibberish, she didn’t see the point in making something up.  She
studied the giant rock for a beat.  “It’s talking about the importance of a virtuous
mission for achieving… something.  Like bringing goodness or fairness.”  Her
head tilted at the symbol for balance.  “Maybe… justice?”

“
That
one, then!”

“Uh…
war?  An
end
to war?”  The marking for a great battle was crossed
through, then followed with an intact representation of the same word.  What
did that mean?  Something cyclical?  A fight that followed a victory?  Mara’s
eyes narrowed in thought.  “I think it’s predicting that peace in one conflict
will bring war to another.”

Vandal
froze.  “Peace?”  His eyes flashed around to the other stones.  “Justice. 
Love.  Reason.”  He pointed at a new stone.  “Health?”

“No.” 
She shook her head.  “That one’s saying choices made in the circle lead to independence. 
But more esoteric than that.  Being somehow,” she made a spinning motion with
her hand, trying to find the right way to translate the concept of a celestial
unbinding, “
freed
by destiny.”

“Liberty.” 
His eyes went wide with awe.  “The gate works from the Tablets of Fate!”

This
again?

“The
Tablets of Fate don’t really exist.”  Mara insisted.  “They’re a parable about
virtue.”  She made another attempt to inject some reality into this mess.  “Maybe
these stones are talking about living rightly in order to pass through a
doorway to better world.  Like dying and going to heaven, if you’re a good
person.”  That made sense to her.  “I told you, it’s most likely a religious
site.  A church.”

Although,
Mara had a sudden memory of Daphne talking to her as she lay dying.

Saying
something about a Health box.

Mara’s
gaze slowly went the fifth stone, which was emblazoned with the symbol for
wellness.

Uh-oh.

She
did a quick count of the stones: Health, Love, Reason, Justice, Liberty,
Compassion, Peace, Happiness and Valor.  She could interpret the markings on
all nine runes to align with the names of the Tablets.  With that as a starting
point, she could suddenly decipher more of the text.  Instructions about
gathering sacred objects and opening a gate.  About how an important journey
was destined to happen and how the future…

Mara’s
eyes met Vandal’s, her mind putting the final fragmented words together.  “The last
stone is warning about happiness.”  She whispered.  “It says, ‘With the first
step through the doorway, the future will die.’”

There
was a sharp movement in the corner of her eye.

Vandal’s
head snapped around, just in time for Kahn to tackle him.  Her cousin’s fist
slammed into Vandal’s face, the momentum of his whole body behind the hit.  The
two of them careened into circle of stones.  They impacted the ground so hard
they left a furrow in the black soil and plowed straight into the granite
marker for happiness.

Mara
winced at the sickening sound of the impact.  Vandal really shouldn’t have told
Kahn that the energy cage was Kahn’s own invention.  Of
course
he could
figure out how to disarm it.  In any time period, her cousin was a mechanical
genius.

The
men struggled viciously, Vandal breaking Kahn’s nose with a savage blow.  Kahn
shook it off, hitting Vandal, again.  The Light House bred its warriors to
battle through unimaginable pain so Mara doubted her cousin even noticed the
blood pouring down his chin.  His face was ice cold, as he did his damnedest
rip Vandal’s wounded eye right out of its socket.  Kahn’s thumb sank into the oozing
flesh, twisting viciously.

Vandal
screamed, but he didn’t give up.  He quickly broke free of Kahn’s hold and Mara
felt a surge of panic.  Vandal was bigger than Kahn and the best soldier in the
realm.  As good as Kahn was, her cousin was only holding his own through
surprise and ferocity.  Vandal might beat him in the end, but Kahn was battling
like a man possessed.

Mara
realized it was because of her.  Because, Kahn knew she was real.

This
is what she’d been trying to tell Chason.  What she always tried to explain
when people edged away from Kahn like he was just some uncivilized barbarian
from a neglected kingdom.  Underneath the grouchiness and glares, her cousin
–her
brother
-- was a hero.  Not just because he was a warrior or because
he was powerful, but because Kahn knew how to give
everything
.

When
he loved you, there were no stops.  No hesitation or thought.  No boundaries or
limitations.  Anyone who came at his family had to get through Kahn first.  Whether
it meant playing dress-up with tiny dolls or attacking the greatest general in
Elemental history with his bare hands, Kahn, of the Light House always gave his
sisters
everything
he had.

Kahn
would win or die.  If need be, he would win even if it
meant
he died.  There
was no compromise; no middle ground or half measures.  Just pure commitment to
his goal.

Vandal
must have sensed that it was impossible to reason with that kind of devotion.

“We
are of the same House!”  Vandal wrenched the gun around to aim it at Kahn’s
head.  “I had not wanted to kill you, but you leave me no choice, boy!”