Under the Burning Stars (20 page)

“
You were shot? Was this when you were attacked a while ago?”

“Yes.”

“And you killed them? Why? You didn’t have to kill them,” Peter said. “You could’ve just made them unconscious.”

Nicole looked at Peter in disgust.
“I’m sure she was defending herself. They shot her, Peter.”

“I’m sorry. I never meant to kill anyone.”

“We’re supposed to protect them,” Peter said. “I told you that you would get out of control.”

“Why don’t you give her a break?” Thomas glared at Peter. “You always act like you’re better than us. Why are you even here? We can all tell you regret your decision. You don’t belong here.”

“Thomas, stop,” Ava said. She didn’t want another fight to break out.

Peter got right in Thomas’s face. “You know what? Why don’t you mind your own business? I
do
belong here just as much as any of you. If you forgot, the Cimmerians tortured me. They know what I can do.”

“You better get out of my damn face.”

Ava sighed. “Would you two please stop? Now is not the time for this.”

After a few seconds, Peter finally backed down. What was up with him lately? He seemed so edgy, but then again so did everyone else. Were the Cimmerians inside his head, too?

“I did it!” Gillian screamed and tears streamed down her face.

“Did what?” Melissa asked.

Gillian’s shoulders shook from the crying. “I compelled Trent to kill those people and then himself.”

Her weeping was the only sound as everyone exchanged shocked looks. Now Ava realized why Gillian had been acting
peculiar. The Cimmerians had to have been the ones making them do those things. But why hadn’t they tortured Melissa, Lance, or Jeremy?

Thomas cursed which made Ava jump. He punched through the wall, making a hole. “It’s them. They’re making us do these things.”

Jeremy wrapped his arms around Gillian as she cried into his shoulder. “We have to do something.”

Lance let out a sigh.
“Do the Elders know any of this?”

“I never told them,” Thomas said.

Gillian shook her head.

Ava wiped her tears.
“No. I don’t want them to know.”

“
We should probably tell them,” Jeremy said.

“Why?
” Ava asked. “So Savina can feed us more lies?”

“They can help us keep them from getting inside our minds.”

“What about Marcel?” Melissa asked.

Ava shivered at the thought of being around him again. “I don’t know how to get back there.”

“Could he help us?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. He perceives things
that aren’t always true, though.”

“It’s worth a try,” Thomas said.
“We need to know if we’ve got Cimmerian blood in us, too. Maybe he can help us figure out what the Cimmerians want.”

“Can you ask Gabriel to take us?” Melissa asked.

Ava didn’t want to drag Gabriel into this. “I don’t think—.”

“Come on. What other choice do we have?”

She looked at Melissa’s pleading eyes and then everyone else’s. “Okay. I’ll ask.”

“Good,” Thomas said and then shook his head. “They must be crazy if they think that we’re going to join them.”

“The Cimmerian I killed last night mentioned Havok. I want to know who it is, if he or she exists.”

“Count me in.” Link crossed his arms. “I
know
I’ve heard that name before. I don’t think Devon was ever in charge. It’s Havok.”

“If the Elders won’t help us, we
’ll just have to do this alone,” Thomas said.

“Seems as if we don’t have much of a choice,” Lance said.

The drive back to the Manor was even more miserable than before. Thick tension filled the small space between Ava and Peter. No one talked and Ava peered out the window at the passing colorful fall trees and the drizzling rain. Thousands of water droplets dashed against the window, flowed together, and rolled down the pane.

Ava glanced at Peter whose eyes
were trained on the other side of the road. That certainly wasn’t how she wanted Peter to find out about Drew and Jonah, but she couldn’t keep the secret inside any longer. She wanted to know if he hated her or if what she had done was too much to forgive.

Melissa twisted around in her seat and Ava met her
worried-looking green eyes. “Ava, the night of Thomas’s house fire, Gillian had been saying things that led me to believe the Cimmerians were convincing her to think in a certain way. I didn’t mean to keep you out of the loop, but I also didn’t want to make assumptions until I knew for sure.”

“Now it seems very plausible that the Cimmerians are controlling us.” Lance slowed to a stop and shook his head.

Peter sighed and crossed his arms in front of his chest. He chewed on the inside of his mouth, but never said a word.

“Even if it was them, what do they want with us?” Melissa pulled a cigarette from the pack and lit it. She cracked the window letting the smoke escape.

No one had an answer, though.

When Lance pulled up
to the Manor, she and Peter got out and he made his way to her car. She guessed he wasn’t going to stay the night.

“I’ll take you home,” she said.

Peter nodded in acknowledgment and then they slipped inside her car. They strapped in and then Ava drove away.

They didn’t speak for the longest time. It was an aching silence and Ava was sick of it.

“Please talk to me,” she said.

“I don’t know what to say honestly. You killed two
Ephemerals. Thomas killed his father and almost killed Melissa, Lance, and Gillian. Gillian convinced Trent to kill people. Half of your parents were possibly Cimmerians. Maybe Marcel can give us the answers we need.”

“Are you mad at me?”

He sighed. “You killed people, Ava. I just need time to process this.”

“I never meant to. I—.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he spat. She could feel his frustration.

Ava pulled into his driveway and put the car in park.
“I feared your reaction. It’s not something I want everyone to know. I hate myself for what I did.”

Peter shook his head. “Ava, I swear. I wish you wouldn’t shut me out. You always hide behind your wall.
”

She was offended. “And you don’t? Peter, you’ve been M.I.A. for months when you’re supposed to be training. It’s like you care more for your past life than anything else.”

“Are you kidding me with this? Stop changing the subject.” He peered out the window. “I just wish you wouldn’t keep me in the dark so much.” His voice calmed. “If the Cimmerians are making you do these things, why wouldn’t you tell me something like that? And you got shot, Ava. I can’t believe you never told me.”

Her eyes brimmed with tears. “You were already struggling with everything
, and I didn’t want to scare you more. I didn’t want you worrying if they were going to get inside your head. And yeah, I guess I became too stubborn to include you because of Valerie and Amanda. It just seemed like you resented me.”

He looked at her, his eyes full of regret.
“Ava, I love you. I became an Enchanter so I could be with you. I want to seek revenge, but I’m frightened. This is all so new for me, and maybe I wanted to ignore a lot of it because it is a lot to take in. I need you to understand where I’m coming from. I’m a little naïve about everything, but if you would share things with me, then maybe it wouldn’t be so hard.”

The words made her feel sorrier. That was exactly what her mom did with her dad. Kept secrets from him. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. And as for Valerie, she is my friend. I care about her, too. I will talk to her about what she said to you and how she treats you. She needs to understand that you are my girlfriend, and I’m not leaving you.”

He placed his hands on either side of her face and pressed his lips to hers. When he
drew back, he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and kissed her forehead. “We’re in this together, okay?”

Ava nodd
ed, and he kissed her once more. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” Peter got out of the car, and she took a deep breath.

Why couldn’t she just tell Peter these things? Maybe his reaction wouldn’t have been so negative if she’d told him the night it happened. She still didn’t like that he
remained friends with Valerie, but she could learn to live with it.

Now, she had to worry about asking Gabriel to take all of them to New Orleans to see Marcel.
But when she returned to the Manor, she saw Colden in the hallway. He looked better than the previous night, but she could still tell something was wrong.

“Good evening, dear.” He gave a friendly smile.

“Hi.”

“Are you doing okay?”

She lifted a shoulder. “I guess. Can we talk?”

“Sure. Let’s go to the parlor.”

Ava followed him, but she wasn’t sure how to bring up what he said. When they walked inside the room, Colden closed the door behind them and invited her to sit in one of the high-backed chairs.

She clenched her
fist, and tried to keep her heartbeat level.

“What’s on your mind?”

“Um. About last night. What did you mean I could contact those who aren’t here?”

He closed his eyes for a moment and then shook his head. “I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“It’s okay. I’ve been reading about Necromancy. Is that what you were talking about?”

Colden sighed. “Ava.”

“Please. No one seems to think I can handle the truth except you. You wouldn’t have mentioned it if you didn’t want me to know.”

“I made a mistake.”

“Colden, please. Do you know where I can find a Necromancer? Or maybe I can perform a séance myself if you won’t tell me.” She hoped he wouldn’t call her bluff.

His black eyes narrowed.
“Absolutely not. That is too dangerous. It is only for advanced Enchanters.”

“Then tell me where I can find one.” She hated
to threaten, but she was at her wit’s end with all of this. She wanted to know why her mother lied. Why she had betrayed them and the Cimmerians.

Colden set his lips in a hard line but then slumped his shoulders. “There is one in New Orleans.
”

The same city where Marcel resided. A plan started to form inside her head.

“But Ava, you must promise me you will not go alone and you will be careful. Necromancers deal with dark magic and can be very dangerous.”

“Of course. I’ll be careful,” she said.
Her heart raced with the opportunity that she’d get to communicate with her mother soon and finally get answers.

“Do not mention this to
the Elders, and if you do, don’t mention my name because I will not admit helping you.”

Ava nodded. “What exactly will happen when I see the Necromancer?”

“He will call upon your mother’s spirit. But I warn you. It may not be a pleasant experience. Don’t spend too much time there. Get what you need and get out.”

Ava’s heart lodged in her throat.
His warning was beginning to change her mind, but she had to go. “Okay.” She wanted to sound strong, but her shaky voice betrayed her. She hoped he couldn’t tell. “Are Necromancers Cimmerian?”

“
They practice dark magic, but they side with no one. Most people are afraid of Necromancers because of what they can do.”

“Communicating with the dead scares people that much?”

“They call upon spirits. Good and bad and sometimes they can make that spirit do anything. That’s why no one trusts Necromancers.”

“I’m surprised Corbin never had one in his corner.”

“He did, and he forced the Necromancer to call several spirits. It was maddening.”

Ava shivered. “What happened
to him?”

“Once Corbin died, the Necromancer vanished. They tend to keep to themselves and hide.”

“So how do you know where one is?”

Colden
looked up. Ava guessed he didn’t want to answer by the begging look in his eyes. She wanted to know what he was hiding, but she didn’t push. “I’ve gotten to know certain types of people over the years, not necessarily by want though.”

“It’s okay. You don’t have to tell me.
But why are you so much more forthcoming with me than Savina is?”

“Ava, I see a lot of myself in you. You never let the fact that you are different stop you. Corbin kept Savina and me in the dark about a lot of things. And when he betrayed us…” He shook his head.

She frowned.
“What was it like growing up with no powers?”

“It was very difficult
at home. Savina was a Healer, and the entire town loved her for her medicines. I’m not a human, but I’m an Enchanter with no special ability. I felt like an outsider because I was so different, but I fit in with the Ephemerals very well. So, I found myself feeling more like a mortal and I became loved by them.”

“Why didn’t your father ever accept you?”

“I was a disappointment because I couldn’t do what they could. I tried to impress him with my blacksmith skills, but he disregarded it because it was an Ephemeral job. He saw me as too much of a human. Since I could not follow in his footsteps, he was never proud of me, and I feared him.” He lowered his gaze. Ava knew it had always been difficult for him to talk about his father. Especially being the son of the most evil Enchanter ever.

“That’s terrible. He hadn’t hated humans until Veronica showed up. I don’t understand why he treated you so poorly.”
She knew Corbin came from a long line of Enchanters, but the Ephemerals never feared for their lives until Corbin started a war.

“
Nature of the beast. But you’re right. When he and Veronica returned from Caprington, it was even worse.” As Colden spoke, he seemed far away, like he was reliving his memories. “He hated that Savina and I had built our lives around the Ephemerals. But we had to. They would never have accepted us in their society if they knew the truth. Corbin wanted to create a new society. One with Enchanters only. He grew so distant and angry. Then he put his plan in motion.”

“His plan to spread disease and kill everyone.”

“Yes.”

“
So, Veronica killed her husband after finding out he was a Hunter and ran to Corbin. They returned to Caprington, but what happened for him to return so changed?”

“A war
had broken out. When Veronica killed her husband, the Ephemerals attacked.”

“Had her husband faked everything? Or did he really love her? I mean, he couldn’t have hated her that much if he was with her for so long and
they had a baby.”

Colden shook his head. “It was all a ruse.”

“Why let it go on so long?”

“Sometimes it takes a long time to gain someone’s trust.
I think in time, the man grew to love her. But once she found out who he was, all bets were off.”

“
Did any of the Ephemerals kill his family members? Was that why he grew so volatile?”

“
No. They were no match against the Enchanters. I still to this day don’t understand why he snapped so suddenly.”

“Maybe his family got to him and convinced him to follow in their footsteps.”

“Perhaps. Savina got the worst of it, though. She was rather naïve at the time. He had spread a plague around the village, and some feared it was a repeat of the Black Death. Savina tried so hard to save them all, but it was too much. It spread too quickly.”

“Why did he do it? Did Veronica push him?”

“He claimed it was something that had to be done. That the Ephemerals were not innocent. According to him, they were murderers and killed Enchanters simply because of what we were. He told Savina that her mother said on her deathbed that she hoped Corbin would eventually create an army to avenge those who had been killed.”

“Why would
she say such a thing? That couldn’t have been true if he didn’t believe in these things until he went back to Caprington.”

“He truly thought they were all out to get the
Enchanters, but Savina and I were very trusting of them and felt that they would never harm any of us unless they were provoked.”

“Which is exactly what Corbin
did. Didn’t they come after Savina?”

“Yes. He claimed he only planted the idea that Savina caused the plague in order to prove
a point to us. Of course, since the Ephemerals thought she was trying to kill them all, they threatened to hang her.”

“Wow.”

“Corbin created chaos that night. Killing people left and right. Burning the village. I released Savina from her cell and then Corbin killed her lover, George.”