Breaking Away (The Man in the Shadows) (20 page)

“Silly man,” a voice said sweetly, as light and airy as a flower in a meadow. “I know that you think you’re powerful and everything but...” With a snap of the fingers, Lamin’s staff was thrust from his hand and thrown across the room, breaking in two against the wall. He cried out, but he was cut short by, “...I’m more powerful than you could ever dream. Do you know who I am?”

Mouth agape, Lamin answered softly, “The Corner Stone.”

“That’s right,” Audra answered, and rose off of the bed. She smiled tenderly at him. “And I know everything that you’ve done wrong. The angel guarding the door woke me up while I made a home in the human called ‘Emily.’” She stuck out her tongue briefly to show her disgust for the name. “But I’ll cut you some slack, Jack.”

“You’re deceiving me. Why should I trust you?”

“That’s for you to decide. Seriously, though, I can tell that deep down you do not want to be one of the forgotten, one of the black souls that works for the devil. You know how I can tell?” She raised her eyebrows as Lamin shrugged, truly stumped by this turn of events. She continued, brightly, “I could see it in your eyes when you looked at Zareh. For the first time in all of your days, you were in love. Isn’t that right?”

Glancing over at James, who was now powerless, Lamin’s eyes narrowed. The two crystal balls floating around his head fell to the ground like twin sinking ships and he carefully stepped closer to Audra. “That is correct. I thought I was sick, but it was love.”

“Oh, jeez,” Audra lamented, pouting dramatically. “But I killed her, didn’t I?”

“You cruel witch,” Lamin bellowed, turning from her again. “You’re taunting me...”

“I created this world, so I can call souls as I will...” she trailed off, but a hint of a smile teased the corner of her mouth. “That is where the ‘slack cutting’ I was referring to would come in. I can...”

Lamin turned around abruptly and stared at her; he wanted to be angry, but at the same time, he wanted desperately to trust her. “You could... bring her back for me?” The way he posed the question sounded like he was ten years old again, asking if he could have another slice of pie at Thanksgiving.

“I can.” Audra stepped forward a few steps, then lifted her hands in the air. A purple glowing, the universal color of life and prosperity, sparked and jumped from her finger tips. James looked on, helpless, and struck dumb by what he had just heard her say. He never knew that the reserved, petite, kind little girl he had known during high school, and then in basic training, was the one soul that held the world together.

A longing like he had never known spread across Lamin’s face like a knife spreading butter on toast. He would denounce all of his plans, all of his evil, nasty, sinful plans, just for the chance to see Zareh again. He would give up all of his power, his seat as High Lord of Monde de Lumière... everything!

“Lamin, my love, what is happening?” Pure hurt and a rising acrimony took over as Greta showed herself. Lamin spun around to see her and tears welled up in her eyes. “Why is it not done? You do remember the plan, don’t you?”

“Please stay back, Greta,” Lamin pleaded. “Things have changed...”

Her love for him overwhelming, she ran to him. The sudden rush of air, of moving fabric, the harsh breathing, and clanking of jewelry got the attention of Audra. Her eyes narrowing, she took her hands out of the air and pointed them at the couple. She had no intention whatsoever of helping Lamin, why would she be so stupid? She wanted to lure him in, to wrench him in by the heart, where it really hurt, and then destroy him. Not knowing another person was nearby, she had to execute her plan now, instead of little by little.

The purple sparks of life that were forming, suddenly turned to the sharp, bright blue of ice, the color of revenge, and a beam the width of a tree trunk rushed from her hands. Faster than Greta could have said, “What?” Lamin grasped his naïve, unknowing slave, and spun her towards the beam. Hitting her in the abdomen, it killed her instantly, vaporizing her physical body. Part of the spell, which was meant for Lamin, was to make the soul vaporize as well, never to be recycled again. Greta was gone. Forever.

Wheezing, James fell to his hands. He saw his sister’s soul vanish into thin air, and knew she’d never return. All of the bad blood between them... how could he ever live with himself knowing that they hadn’t reconciled, and now, they never could? It was all a misunderstanding, all for the greed of one man.

“Lamin,” James howled, clamoring to his feet. Like a battering ram, he rushed forward, unable to hold himself back from strangling him with his bare hands. “LAMIN!”

Audra’s deception becoming clear, and the death of Greta hitting him harder than he could ever imagine, Lamin screamed, “INCENDIO!” With that one word alone, and his hands held high in the air, the entire room was swept up again in a hurricane, but it was not made of wind and rain. It was made of wind and
fire.

James reeled from Lamin immediately, a bright orange and red gleam taking over his field of vision. Holding his hands up to his eyes to shield them from the ungodly glow, he ran in the opposite direction, trying to find the door. He had no more magic to wield, so he had to save himself. Gasping, he knew he still had a higher calling. He had to save Maika.

Smoke began to rise from the fire, and he coughed, choking on it. Still, he rushed forward with all the strength he had left, squinting, lowering himself down to get below the smoke line. He yelled, “Maika!”

At that moment, a hand wiggled into his, and she answered, “Come on!” He couldn’t look to see if it was really her, because the fire was blinding and hotter than an inferno; together they found the door that exited into the hallway. They spilled out into the hall, the fire lapping at the door frame behind them, melting the statues that stood around it.

Stumbling to their feet, they did not say a word to each other, just gazed at each other. His icy eyes did not melt in the fiery, but seemed to glow stronger as he beheld her. He was her guardian, and as it turns out, she was the one to save him. Hands still intertwined, they walked down the hallway, away from the fire, away from the nightmare. Slowly, as they walked, Maika’s hair, as black as midnight, began to change color. It started from the bottom and inched its way upwards, like a thief scaling a wall. Once it reached the top of her head, her hair was a different color entirely.

Bright, crimson red.