Endure (3 page)

Riddley nodded and took a deep a breath. Sweat had started to run down his face and he dabbed it with a dirty handkerchief.

“So what made you finally leave the Circle?”

Riddley didn’t respond at first. He placed both hands on his knees and leaned forward, taking in long, slow breaths. He put his finger up as if to tell me to wait and cleared his throat. “I had known for years that at some point, my memories had been altered. I don’t know who did it, and I don’t know how many times it was done, but my dreams were becoming increasingly more vivid. A few weeks before our meeting with you and your friends, I stopped getting visions altogether and was left with no choice but to assume the worst—something bad was coming.” Riddley coughed and his nose began to run.

“Hey, are you okay?”

Riddley nodded. “Yes, fine. Just getting a chill.” He cleared his throat and offered a faint smile. “I tried to discuss it with the council, but Blackwell had everyone on edge with his obsession on getting the ring. He made my query irrelevant. I realized then that everything the Circle stood for had fallen apart. Whatever was happening, Blackwell was in some way involved. If I wanted to find answers and effect change, I had to do it on my own.”

“What about the others? If they knew something wasn’t right with Blackwell, you could’ve had him voted out of the council.”

“I didn’t have any evidence to sustain my beliefs. I could prove nothing. And anything I could prove only exposed myself as a traitor for breaking the rules of engagement.”

“So you left,” I said. I could feel sleep pulling at my eyes again. I’d just woken up, how could I be tired?

“I thought if I went deep enough or far enough away from Blackwell, I could get my visions back. I suspected it was he who had tampered with my mind and abilities. He was the only one powerful enough to even attempt such a feat. But it was to no avail. I remained vacant of my visions no matter how far I went. By the time I decided to return, there was no home to return to. Many of the hunters were dead, others had gone into hiding, and the council had been mostly slaughtered. All but Blackwell of course, who appears to have gone with Riley.”

“And now you’re here.”

“Marcus had given me the location of the warehouse. When I arrived, Riley had already fled, and you and your friend…well, you know the rest.”

I nodded and found my head feeling heavy. My eyes were drooping and the edges of my vision began to blur.

“I’ve put some ointment on your wounds to speed the healing, but I’m sorry to say they’re pretty bad. The sooner the summoner arrives, the sooner we can get you back on your feet. For now, you need rest.”

“I can’t. I need to be ready for when they get here.”

“Until your summoner completes the next part of the Protector’s rite, you’re not of any use to anyone. Besides, by the looks of it, those pills are starting to kick in. Don’t fight them. Rest while you can. I fear you have a long journey ahead of you.” Riddley wiped his brow again and struggled to push himself up. “Perhaps it’s best if we both have a rest.”

Chapter 3

My jeans were torn and crusty, hanging low on my waist. There were no wounds on my body, just smooth, unmarred skin, and the warm air kept the chill away. I walked toward a pond as grass folded beneath my bare feet. Everything seemed so distant. I was a giant stalking an open plain.

I crouched down on my hands and knees in desperate need of a drink. My tongue felt like sandpaper and the water looked refreshing. A cloudy sky drifted in the water’s reflection, but when my hands dipped beneath the surface, tiny ripples blurred the image. The liquid was cold and energizing, revitalizing my throat as it quenched my thirst.

Water was a powerful element, tranquil and healing with the capability to revive your soul. It could wash you clean and soothe your aches, but in the wrong conditions, it was unmatched for power. It could rise up and swallow you whole. You could fight, you could tread water, and you could swim, but the water would never grow tired. It existed endlessly and it could devour you before you received a final breath. Water was the only element that worked so perfectly on both ends of the spectrum. It deserved both one’s respect and fear.

When the water calmed, I leaned over and stared at my reflection, but it wasn’t there. Instead, I saw myself in the distance like a movie on a screen. I couldn’t see my face. I stood in front of this very pond and dark ink covered my back. Massive inky wings were sewn into my skin, draping over my shoulders and running down the sides of my back. The tip of the wings disappeared beneath the edge of my pants and grey shading filled in the feathers. A thick sword was drawn from the base of my neck, down my spine. Small glyphs on the blade represented each element I had attained. Before the battle with Riley, there were four: earth, air, fire, and water. Now there was a fifth element: lightning.

The clouds above roared with thunder. I jumped at the sound, but the man in the reflection didn’t move. He stood strong and proud, staring at the sky, seeming unfazed by what happened around me. Lightning flashed and rain began to fall. White clouds turned gray and forced the sun into hiding. Drops of water fell, distorting the image in the water into a ripple of colors.

I rose to my feet as the drops ran over my back. They were cold, sliding over my shoulders and down my chest. Hair clung to my forehead and the wind picked up, causing
goosebumps
to rise across my skin. Tiny drops hit me, exploding in liquid assaults. I stood at the edge of the pond, staring at the clouds. When I looked back down at the pond, I found my mother standing in the center. She looked small, wading toward the shore of a massive lake. When she was nearly to the edge, she stopped, staring up at me.

She barely reached my knees, and the sight of her made my legs shake. I gave in to them and fell to the ground. Both my knees planted into the wet earth and water seeped into my jeans.

White straps ran over her shoulders, holding up a green summer dress that floated on the water. She was a water lily, and my massive form sheltered her from the storm. Her long hair was pushed off her shoulders and thrown into the wind. It whipped around her face and she pulled a strand from her lips. It had only been a few months, but she looked younger than I remembered. Her skin was smoothed and the dark circles under her eyes were gone. The wrinkles at the edge of her mouth and eyes were still there, a permanent impression from a woman always smiling.

As soon as I thought it, the loving smile she usually carried was upon her lips. Hazel eyes held me like I’d dreamed for months they’d have the chance to do again, and my chest rattled with a racing heartbeat.

“Mom,” I said, but the word hardly came out. It was caught in my throat. I tried to say it again, but I couldn’t. My body vibrated with fear, sadness, and excitement, and a tear ran down my face. As it hit the water, the pond deepened and she stood hip-deep in water.

“
Shhh
,” she said, raising her hand. Her smile hadn’t faltered, but she didn’t come closer.

I pulled back the tear and stretched my arm toward her. Her entire hand gripped one of my fingers and she used it as support as she walked to the shore.

“It’s okay, honey,” she whispered. “Everything is going to be okay.”

I shook my head. “How can it be? You’re not here because of what I did. You’re gone, Willy’s gone, and everyone is lost. They might be gone too.” The words were short and jerky between airy sobs. I wished I wasn’t so big. I wanted to feel her arms wrap around my neck and hold me close. The moment I thought it, it happened. I stood on the shoreline with her, and I was no longer a giant in comparison.
 

“You need to calm down.” She cupped my face, the smile still warming her features. “You’re going to get through this, do you hear me?”

I couldn’t reply. I’d wasted all the words I had and now they were stuck somewhere between my throat and my chest.

“Nod if you understand.”

I nodded and I didn’t look away. I didn’t ever want to look away.

“You’re on your way to becoming the true Protector, but before that, you’re my son. Before magic, before any blessing from the gods, you were strong. You didn’t need magic to fight because you never quit. Ever. You had what you needed inside.” She put her hand on my chest, and even in the rain and wind, her touch was hot.

The thunder crashed and she looked up to the sky. “I don’t have much time. You need to look inside yourself and find that strength again. That strength has nothing to do with magic and everything to do with you. You have to bind the souls and find the answers you need.” The thunder crashed again and the smile finally left my mother’s face. “They know I’m here and they won’t be happy. I need to go.”

“What? No!” I said, but she had already pulled herself away. “Mom, wait!”

She walked backward into the pond and I tried to follow, but the water had become rough rapids that pushed me back, although she seemed to move with ease.

“I can’t, they won’t let me. I’m not supposed to be here.”

“Who won’t let you?”

My mother stared back at me, offering me a half-smile I knew was forced. “Be the person I know you can be. I know you think you need me, but you’re stronger than you know. Don’t ever forget that, and remember, I’m always with you.”

“Mom, wait! Who won’t let you?”

Lightning flashed and the thunder roared. Her head canted to the side and she feigned a smile. The water swirled up around her, sliding over her arms and consuming her entire body. A water-shaped hand reached out to me, and then her entire form collapsed into the lake, leaving nothing but ripples in its wake and the words “the gods” whispering on the wind.

Chapter 4

I jerked up from the couch, but the repercussion that came with the motion made me curse. My chest heaved and sweat dripped down my face.

“Chase?” I heard a voice say, but it was groggy. I wasn’t quite in reality yet.

I cleared my throat and threw my legs over the edge of the couch. More pain came, but I didn’t care. I needed to touch the floor. I needed to ground myself.

“Chase, are you okay?” It was Rayna’s voice and she ran down the stairs.

I screamed as the scabbed over skin on my back tore open when I attempted to stand. I fell to the couch and beat my fists against the cushions as though that could alleviate the pain.

“Chase, hey…calm down.”

Rayna’s voice soothed me. She crouched in front of me and carefully touched my shoulder. Calming energy emanated off her body and soaked into mine. The adrenaline and pain faded, leaving an empty pit stirring inside me. I went completely still. The green cat eyes staring back at me had stolen my words and my breath. Swelling had formed under Rayna’s right eye and she looked tired, but she was as striking as ever.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

I didn’t have words, so I answered with action. There was only one thing I wanted to do. Both my hands cupped her face and I fought the pain that came with moving. I leaned forward until my lips were against hers. Her lips were missing their usual coat of gloss, but I didn’t care, I needed her closer.

Our lips parted in unison and my grip tightened on the back of her head. If I could’ve pulled her closer, I would have. Our tongues touched, dancing against one another to an unheard song. Rayna’s hands slid around my neck, pulling me so hard against her I thought it would leave a bruise. I hoped it would.

More feet clambered down the stairwell and Rayna pulled away. We were both breathless, and we didn’t turn to see who it was. There was an unspoken need for one another, and I knew in that moment forever would never be enough. I needed her more than I’d ever needed anything. She was the only reality I wanted to live in—the calm in the storm of my life. She was all I had left.

“What’s gotten into you?” Rayna asked. Her eyes lowered and her cheeks became flushed.

“Nothing—everything—I can’t lose you too. Not like I did them.”

“You’re not going to lose me. What’s going on?”

“He’s gone, Rayna. I got him killed and now he’s gone. So is the soul piece and…I lost everything.”

“Chase, what are you talking about?”

“The fight!” I yelled. “One hundred meters. That was it. I wasn’t fast enough. Riley was too strong. I told him to run and he did, but he came back. He thought he could save me, but he couldn’t. Nobody can save me.”

“Chase,” Marcus said. “Help us out here. We’ve only just arrived. What has happened?

“Willy’s dead.” The words were hardly a whisper, yet felt like daggers tearing through my insides.

Tears burned my eyes, but I fought them back and turned to Marcus. I couldn’t see Rayna’s sadness too. That would be too much. Marcus looked massive without his shirt. I assumed like mine, it had been lost somewhere in the fight. Welts littered his wide chest and his back was covered in wrinkled, scarred skin—a gift from my father. When I’d successfully beaten back the sadness in my eyes, I looked back and forth between Rayna and Marcus, unable to repeat the words.