Under the Burning Stars (26 page)

“Of course. It’ll take time.”

“I don’t care. I need to learn it.” She returned to her spot on the bench. “What a birthday.”

“
I know and I’m sorry. I have good news, though. That’s kinda why I came in here. Because there’s so many of us going, we can go to New Orleans.”

“You can teleport? How will they not get inside your head?”

“There will be too many of us, plus I know they’re out there and I’m expecting it. We can’t be gone too long though. Colden was pretty strict on that.”

Her heart raced. “When can we go?”

“Saturday night.”

This was it. She would finally talk to her mother.
Ava was scared and nervous, but she wasn’t going to back out. She wanted to hear her mother’s side of the story. Could spirits lie beyond the grave? Would her mother be happy to see her? There was only one way to find out.

Blood poured from Peter’s chest as he collapsed to his knees. Ava lurched forward, but Gabriel held her back. Seconds later, Peter’s chest sealed itself and the bleeding stopped.

Maggie’s innate ability to
transform her arms into any kind of weapon and cut through flesh amazed Ava. She usually preferred the three-pronged martial arts Sai weapon to use.

Peter laughed it of
f and walked back to the group who watched each person fight.

“Are you okay?” Ava checked him over.

He smiled and kissed her forehead. “I’m fine.” His gray shirt had a long slanted gash, with blood all over, but there wasn’t a single scratch on him. She knew if they were really in a battle, she would have been injured or worse by checking on him, but she couldn’t stand to see him get hurt.

He and Seth seemed to be doing a lot better since Valerie and Amanda left to go stay with their respective grandparents. Ava guessed that since they knew the girls were safe from the Cimmerians, they could
fully give themselves to their Enchanter lives. But Ava knew they were still saddened that their friends left. 

School had been uneventful the rest of the week, which Ava appreciated.
At night, they’d spent their time training. She tried not to think about it, but the excitement about going to New Orleans had consumed her mind all week.

Peter squeezed her hand and she responded with a small smile. He knew she was excited. But didn’t know the real reason.

Gustav and Maya’s covens had arrived and were practicing with them. Having them there only made the thought of war a reality. It was going to happen. And they had nine days before the new moon to train.

Maya Gutiérrez’s Aureole, from Spain, consisted of her siblings, but there were only four because of one of Corbin’s attacks. Maya, Esteban, Diego, and Lucia were young
with beautiful olive skin and brown eyes. Their black hair was thick and full. They kept to themselves mostly but they all seemed very graceful and patient. Both Diego and Esteban were easy on the eyes.  

Gustav Kovalevsky was
an Elder and was as old as Savina and Aaron. His face had deep battle scars, but his bushy gray beard covered most of them. His solemn green eyes were set deep. His hulking body made Thomas look small. His Aureole, from Russia, consisted of Ilya Anasenko, a shapeshifter with brown hair and boyish features, Zhan Burmakin, an older man with striking green eyes and cropped white hair, Konstantin Volodin, a tall blond with pale blue eyes, Alena Gorshkov, a short brunette with dark blue eyes and clear skin, and Anastasya Grigoryev, an older woman with dark hair and brown eyes. There was a scar right above her left eye.

Katarina
Obolensky, the young girl in Gustav’s Aureole, was the other Protector. Her dyed dark, almost metallic blue, short hair tapered around her round childish face. She wore heavy makeup, especially around her large brown eyes and donned herself in all black. Ava guessed she was her or Joss’s age.

All morning they practiced and if anything got too out of hand, Savina, and now Ava, were there to heal them. The large group watched two witches fight, and whoever won the fight kept fighting until they lost.

Katarina walked up to Maggie and looked about the size of Joss—very petite, especially next to the tall Maggie.

Maggie moved her hands as fast as a lizard
’s tongue, but Katarina suddenly jumped high into the air and flipped over her. She landed behind Maggie and grabbed her feet, forcing her to fall. Then, she placed a hand on Maggie’s shoulder and within seconds, Maggie turned white as snow and couldn’t move. Katarina released her hand and Maggie returned to normal.

Ava’s mouth opened wide. Katarina was the first one to defeat Maggie.

Konstantin leaned near Ava. “She can generate radiation.” He spoke in a thick Russian accent. “It’s so impressive.”

“Ava, you’re up,” Aaron said.

She froze. She was supposed to defeat the one person who overcame Maggie?

“Don’t lose sight of her,” Konstantin said and then smiled.

Ava nodded and then walked to the front and watched Katarina warily. Trying to keep her head clear and remembering that she could do this, she stood face-to-face to Katarina. She was taller than the girl and wondered how long she’d been a witch.

Katarina crossed her arms in front of her and Ava imagined the blue haired girl underwater, fighting for her life. Katarina didn’t move, just waited. So, Ava would have to conjure some water. Before she could, Katarina bolted toward her, and Ava quickly caught the girl and slammed her to the ground. She turned to face the downed girl and water soon rushed around Ava’s hands, waiting for her signal. Then, the water ran over the girl’s face.

Katarina coughed and choked on the water and then Ava stopped. Katarina walked back to the group with wet hair, and then Eric walked up to Ava.

With a single movement, Eric blindsided Ava with a kick to her stomach. She doubled over, but still watched him. He hadn’t moved at all. Then he grabbed her from behind and held her from moving. She still stared at Eric, right in front of her.

“Cheater,” she said. He’d duplicated himself and the version behind her held her throat, choking her. Water dripped from her hands as she attempted to call it, but nothing happened. Her air was depleting, until finally he let her go. As if the duplications were souls of his, they filed back into one body.

Eric chuckled. “Gets them every time.”

Joss was next and she played with a blue electric current in her hands. Eric spread out into five men this time, but Joss stood in the middle and spread her electricity to each of them in a swift movement.

Eric stood. “I’ll defeat you one day.”

She giggled. “We’ll see about that.”

T
hey practiced with each other until sunset. The Elders gave everyone a few minutes to freshen up and then go to the library for a meeting. Ava showered and changed into a thin black sweater and jeans with her boots.

Tonight was the night.

Ava was so nervous her body shook. She didn’t even know how she was going to break away from the group to go find the Necromancer. She had to come up with a plan and calm down.

She met Peter in the hallway. “Are you okay?” he asked.

“Yeah. Just excited to finally get out of here and do something.”

“Me, too. It’s just hard to be excited, given what’s going to happen in a few days.”

“I know. I’m trying not to think about it. Which is impossible.”

“Maybe they found some information and want to share it with us.”

“Maybe.” But Ava doubted it.

They walked inside the library and found Melissa, Lance, and the rest of their Aureole. Ava was glad the library was so large to hold that many people.

“Quiet, everyone!” Aaron raised his hand and slowly the room silenced. “Today was very productive and I’m happy that everyone did a great job. However, we do not know how big the Cimmerian army is. There could be hundreds or thousands.”

Way to make us feel hopeless
, she thought.

Ava could feel everyone’s apprehension. It lingered
heavily inside the room and she saw a few necklaces glow. Peter froze with fear. She tightened her grip on his hand.

“I say this not to put fear in you, but as a possible truth. I need all of you to be as prepared as you possibly can. We also do not know when they plan to attack. This could be a false alarm, but we need to be ready.”

“They want the Elementals by the new moon,” Savina said. “But they will not get them. We will overcome the Cimmerians once again. We are strong and powerful. They will not defeat us.”

“We prevailed once before, and we will again,” Aaron said.

That got a rise out of some of the Enchanters. They cheered and clapped. The energy in the room completely changed and everyone was alive with hope.

Ava felt herself smile and she exchanged looks with Melissa, Lance, Thomas, and Peter.

Melissa howled and Ava laughed.

Everyone
started dispersing but Ava and her Aureole stayed behind and met up with Gabriel, Joss, Eric, Link, and Nicole.

“Is everyone ready?” Gabriel asked.

A chorus of yes’s was heard.

“Okay. Everyone hold hands.”

They stood in a circle and Ava took Gabriel’s hand in one and Peter’s in the other.

“Let’s go.”

New Orleans was alive and energetic on the cold November night. Like before, Ava reveled in being able to hear music from the square. They arrived at Marcel’s and once everyone had been introduced, Marcel offered to speak to Thomas, Gillian, and Ava.

“I guess I’ll wait for you out here,” Peter told Ava.

She kissed him on the lips. “Thank you.”

Ava followed Marcel and the others into a sitting room. He closed the double doors and sat on the edge of a chair. Ava, Gillian, and Thomas sat together on a couch under a window.

Marcel watched them, as if he was mesmerized by their appearance. “I didn’t think I would ever see you again, Ava.”

She shifted uncomfortably. He still gave her the creeps. “Yeah. But what you saw that night turned out to be true.”

He frowned. “I am sorry.”

“So you got anything for us?” Thomas asked.
His leg shook, and Ava knew he was nervous. “I mean, do you see any visions or whatever?” He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees.

Marcel stared at Thomas and didn’t say a word.

“What is he doing?” Gillian whispered. “Why is he just staring?”

“Your father was killed,” Marcel said.

Thomas clenched his fists. “Yes.”

“It was you physically, but not mentally.” Then, his eyes
turned white, almost like they glowed, and Gillian gasped. “You were persuaded into killing him. The Cimmerians were out for revenge.” Marcel snapped his head to the left. “I see him with Corbin. He went to war on their side.”

Thomas cursed and bolted out of his seat. He ran his hands through his hair and let a string of expletives fly from his mouth.

Marcel’s eyes returned to normal. “I am sorry.”

Gillian shook her head. “I changed my mind. I don’t want to know.” She leapt to her feet and rushed out of the room.

“I can’t believe this,” Thomas said. “Why would he pretend to be a good guy when he was a Cimmerian the whole time?”

Ava sat quietly, still trying to process the fact that her mom and his dad were Cimmerians. Had they come into the group at the same time? But Ava began to grow impatient. She needed to leave and
didn’t know how she was going to.

“Perhaps he wanted to change,” Marcel said.

Thomas barked a laugh. “Highly doubtful. He hated me from day one. Good riddance.”

Ava’s heart sank and she stood from the couch. “You don’t really mean that, do you?”

Thomas sighed. “You know he hated me. You saw it for years.”

“Perhaps he was jealous of your ability.”

“He never turned me into Corbin. Why?”

Neither had Ava’s mom. She promised her soul to Corbin, but if that were true, why
hadn’t she just handed Ava over to Corbin? The questions were growing. She had to go.

The door opened and Rene walked through. “I don’t think we should do this much longer tonight. It upsets Marcel knowing he is giving displeasing news.”

Thomas nodded and took a deep breath. “Thank you for confirming it.”

Marcel stood and met Ava’s eyes. He tilted his head and stared at her. Her heartbeat picked up. What would he say now? What could he possibly perceive that he hadn’t already? “There is much darkness in you.”

Ava stiffened. “My mother was a Cimmerian. What do you think?”

He shook his head. “This is something else. Darkness is growing within you.”

Her necklace warmed and then she felt Thomas’s hand on her shoulder. “We should go.”

“Marcel,” Rene said. “Let’s retire for the evening.”

Ava followed Thomas out of the room, but not without glaring at Marcel once more. Darkness? What did he mean by that? Did he think she was becoming a dark Enchanter? She knew she shouldn’t have talked to him. He put all sorts of thoughts in her head.

They met the rest of the group outside. Jeremy held Gillian and consoled her. Thomas made his way to Lance and Melissa and Peter came up to Ava.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“Yeah.”

“So, we were talking.” Joss pushed through the group of people. “And I thought that now you’re eighteen, we can go to Metropolitan. We didn’t get to do anything for your birthday.”

“We’re not going clubbing,” Gabriel said.

Sophia waved her hand dismissively. “Oh, you’re such a party pooper.”

“We all need a night of fun.” Joss smiled.

“I’m in,” Melissa said.

Thomas shrugged. “Why not?”

Ava saw her in. “You know what? Let’s go.”

Everyone looked at her
like she had lost her mind.

“My birthday ended badly and I want to have some fun.”

“We should go now before she realizes she’s actually about to do something fun and changes her mind,” Melissa said.

Ava rolled her eyes.

When they were ready, they followed Sophia and Caroline to the club.

Ava clutched onto Peter’s hand. She kept her emotions calm so she wouldn’t warn anyone
, but it wasn’t easy when her heart pounded so loudly she could feel it in her ears. She took a deep breath. No one could know about this.

Colden had told her the Necromancer hid out in the Metropolitan.
What were the odds that it was the same club Sophia and Caroline frequented? Her plan so far was falling into place with ease. He said to ask for Zach and then once she found him, she was to use a code word.

She hoped the club would be so busy that she could get lost and no one
would follow her.

They arrived at
a deserted building in the warehouse district. The streets were empty except for a long line outside. The windows were blacked out of the large two-story building.

“Leave this to us.” Caroline and Sophia walked up to the bouncer and he unhooked the rope and let every one of them inside. A
repetitive thumping beat from below vibrated the windows and inside Ava’s body.

They followed Caroline and Sophia
downstairs into a sea of dancers in strobe lights and flashes of colored lights. The annoying beat amplified. People looked completely drugged out of their minds as they bopped and swayed to the music.

How was
Ava supposed to find Zach in this?

Caroline immediately took Gabriel’s arms and started dancing with him
. Thomas whispered something in Sophia’s ear and she nodded. Melissa and Lance joined the dancers and were all over each other in a matter of seconds.

“I’m going to get a drink,” Ava shouted at Peter. He looked completely out of his element and she was sure she did, too. Link and Nicole nudged him and motioned for him to follow.

“We’ll be over there,” Nicole yelled.

Ava nodded. It was now or never.
She pushed through the crowd, and got stepped on a few times, and made her way to the bar. A young boy, maybe Ava’s age, flirted with the blond bartender. It was quite comedic because the woman was clearly out to get as much money from the boy as she could. She filled his drink and licked her lips seductively.

“Excuse me,” Ava shouted over the music. “I’m looking for Zach.”

The woman looked at Ava and she swore the woman grinned, but it was hard to tell in the dark flashing lights. They were beginning to give her a headache.

“He’ll be here in a minute,” she said.

How is there seriously a Necromancer in this place?

“Why don’t you have a drink with me while you wait?” the boy asked. “On me.”

“No, thanks,” Ava said.

“Oh come on baby.” The boy grabbed her arm.

Ava clenched her teeth, took his arm off hers, and squeezed it tightly in her hand. The boy gave a pained expression. “I said no.”

The frightened look in the boy’s eyes made the bartender laugh. “Guess she told you.”

Ava tossed his hand away from her.

“Looking for me?” a voice asked behind her.

She turned around and looked at a tall and muscular man who had a deep scar on his neck. “Yes.”

“What do you want?”

“I need a chaotic flower.” It sounded like she was asking to buy some sort of drug. But that was the code word Colden had given her. She felt stupid for saying it. She wanted to hurry up and get the meeting over with. They were on a very strict time limit.

He looked at her as if sizing her up, and then seized her arm. Dragging her roughly through the crowd, she struggled with him. She didn’t know where he was taking her or what he was going to do. Her pulse inched up a degree.

They reached an elevator, and he forced her inside, and then closed the gated doorway.

“Press the blue button.” He smiled, and there was a look of desire in his green eyes. “And good luck.” He walked away.

Her breath caught in her throat and she shakily pressed the button. The elevator jerked into motion, going down. Once it stopped, she slowly slid open the door. Torches lit from the stone walls, but it was barely enough light. She stepped onto the dark red carpet. At the end of the narrow hall was a glowing blue light.

Ava
could do this. She slowly made her way toward the room at the end of the hall, wondering if this was really a good idea. She really should’ve left. But having a chance to seek answers from her mother kept her walking. Her hand ran along the stone wall as if to steady her.

When she reached the room, she realized the blue glow came from candles that had a hypnotic flame.
They surrounded a large round black rug that covered the center of the dim room.

A man appeared in the doorway and startled her.
He was ridiculously tall, but the dark look on his face gave Ava the chills. He moved aside and she walked in. The whole atmosphere felt seedy, as if she were involved in a drug deal.

A cloaked figure turned around and
crossed the room, stopping halfway in front of Ava. His face was hidden beneath the hood, but she could see his long, crooked fingers. They were old and he clasped them in front of his stomach. “Hello.” His voice was craggy, as if he had been a smoker for years.

“Sorry, but this hardly seems like a place for a Necromancer.”

“That’s the point.”

Ava nodded. “Right.”

“What is it that you’ve come for?”

“I want to speak to my mother’s spirit.”

“Very well. I will need to prick your finger for blood.”

“Okay.” She raised her hand for him and he
pierced her middle finger. He let the blood fall into the center of the rug. The flames grew taller than Ava and she held her breath.

“
Have you a picture of your mother?”

Crap
. “No. All of them were burned in a fire.”

“That’s a shame.
” She couldn’t see, but it sounded like he was smiling. “Think of her in your mind, and focus on the image.”

Ava pictured her mother’s red hai
r and gray eyes and her confident smile, but then the image of her standing next to Corbin flashed in her mind. Her eyes were wrong, like they enjoyed killing the woman.

“Keep concentrating,” he said.

Ava inhaled deeply, exhaled, and then closed her eyes. The Necromancer began speaking in a foreign language that sounded like Latin.

Ava waited and concentrated all her energy on contacting
her. The light grew and she opened her eyes to see the candle light grow and diminish.

Her breath caught in her throat as she saw a woman in black walking toward her. There was something about her that
didn’t seem right. As if she wasn’t really there. Like a ghost. As she got closer, Ava’s heartbeat sped up. It was her mother.

“Hello, Ava,” she said.

“Mom.”

“Don’t be afraid.
”

“Is it
really you?”

“Of course, my child.”

Ava wanted to run into her mother’s arms and hug her. But she knew it was just her spirit. She didn’t realize that she’d been crying. “Is it true? Are you really a Cimmerian?”

She smiled, just as she had in the vision. “Join them. This is your destiny.”

“I don’t understand. How is this my destiny?”

“They will show you the way.
Trust them.”

Ava shook her head. “No, Mom. They’re wrong. How could you promise my soul to them? Who is Havok?” The questions that had built up over the past few months now came out in a rush.

“If you don’t join him, everyone will die. You must convince the others to join.”

Her mother began fading, and Ava concentrated more. She couldn’t possibly be leaving so soon. Ava’s body shook, and then she felt a liquid running from her nose, but she and the Necromancer kept at it.

There was a strong wind and the flames surrounded Ava. The Necromancer began to shout his spell and then the room chilled. It was like a freezer, and she couldn’t make herself warm.