The Brotherhood of the Snake (Return of the Ancients Book 2) (13 page)

I’d almost turned away when the mirror’s reflection changed yet again, showing a myriad of tiny forms, each one tied to the cluster of lizards by a golden cord of light. There were so many cords circling out from them that the surface of the mirror looked like it was covered with a glowing, gold spider web.

Jareth’s voice snaked through my mind once more, and his dark eyes zeroed in on the wriggling pile of scaly forms on the cliff. “Begone! You’re not welcome here!”

As one, the lizards spat and hissed, rising on their haunches and straining our way as Jareth shoved past me.

Suddenly, a gust of wind burst from the mirror, sending his dark hair flying wildly in all directions, and then there was a blinding flash of light.

With a choking gasp, Jareth clutched his hands to his chest and sank to his knees. He began to scream, a deep bone-chilling scream rife with pain.

Instantly, the mirror turned black.

I couldn’t move. I just stood there, silent and scared speechless, unable to comprehend what I’d just witnessed.

Rafael pushed past me to kneel beside Jareth thrashing on the floor. With his fingers already beginning to glow, he placed his hand over Jareth’s chest as they were both enveloped in a soft bubble of light.

After several long moments, Jareth stopped screaming and the bubble popped.

With a deep, wavering breath, he gripped Rafael’s wrist and whispered, “Are they gone?”

“Yes,” Rafael replied, ashen-faced. Giving him a long, measured look, he added, “And while I would know how you sent them back, first tell me how badly you’re hurt.”

Jareth blanched. Grinding his teeth, he practically snarled, “Why such brotherly love?”

Rafael drew back a fraction. “Hardly love,” he answered coolly. “I’d assist even the most bitterest of enemies under these circumstances.”

As I watched, his bracelet glowed again, this time turning a brilliant green as thick droplets of light began oozing out to splash over Jareth’s hands and chest.

Closing his eyes, Jareth grimaced, clearly still in acute pain.

It took several interminably long minutes before he managed a barely distinguishable whisper, “That’s sufficient.”

Rafael ignored him and continued to concentrate on the droplets of light.

A good five minutes passed before Jareth abruptly sat up.

“Enough!” he growled. With a sarcastic lift of his lip, he placed his arm diagonally across his chest and delivered a mock salute. “I’m in your debt, your highness.”

The words sounded every bit of the insult they were intended to be.

Rafael jerked as if he’d been slapped and then stood in one easy, fluid movement. “You’ve evidently recovered,” he observed sharply before turning to me, his face filling with concern. “And you? Are you well, Sydney?”

“I don’t know,” I replied, finding my voice at last. Pointing feebly to the mirror, I just shook my head in shock. “What was that? What just happened?”

There was a distinct pause.

“I’m not certain,” he admitted. His face was pale. He was clearly shaken himself.

I shuddered, recalling the hissing voices and the fact that I hadn’t been able to respond. “They were mesmerizing me, weren’t they?”

His silence was a sufficient answer.

I was overwhelmed with questions. Questions that I knew I’d be better off leaving unasked, but I was caught in some kind of gruesome trap. I couldn’t stop myself from asking even when I didn’t want to know the answer. “What did they mean that I’m
the One
?
The One
what?”

Rafael held still.

“Who knows, Sydney?” Jareth snapped, clearly irritable. He eyed his palms and flexed his fingers a few times before practically growling, “I wouldn’t necessarily trust anything they say. Who knows what they’re truly after? You could tell by their questions that they’ve got ulterior motives.”

I hadn’t remembered them asking too many questions, but I blew the comment off as I recalled how the lizards had consumed the wriggling forms mysteriously popping into existence above their heads accompanied by Jareth’s command that I stop feeding them.

“Why did you say I was feeding them?” I heard myself asking.

He glared at me darkly as he struggled to his feet. “You saw the manifestations of your fear as well as I did,” he answered sourly, glaring down at me.

He seemed worn, exhausted, and he was definitely getting crankier by the second.

“My fear?” I frowned, not appreciating his attitude. But then, I rarely did.

Shooting me a condescending look, he reminded disdainfully, “We’ve told you before that humans create Tulpas. Congratulations. Now you’ve witnessed the process first hand.”

Thinking of the Tulpa that had tried to consume me, I couldn’t suppress a shudder.

But Jareth was still explaining, albeit in a nasty tone. “Your thoughts are pure power, Sydney. Every genuine emotion you feel physically manifests itself in the second dimension. You created fear for them, and they find that particular emotion quite tasty. In fact, they thrive on fear, preferring that above all of the other dark feelings that humans create.”

I thought I was going to vomit. “You’re saying that I created that … that
thing
with all those black tentacles?” I didn’t want to believe something so disturbing had originated from me.

At that, Jareth’s frown morphed into an outright impatient scowl. “Haven’t you listened at all? Yes, you created it! You humans excel at hiding your head in the sand. You’re an easy target.” Swaying a little, he stumbled to the couch and fell on it heavily. “They’ve got you right where they want you, wallowing in fear, convincing yourselves you’re unworthy of happiness. It’s an endless cycle. Really, Sydney! You just took one look at them and turned yourself into a fast food restaurant for their pleasure!”

“What do you expect? How can anyone see them and not get scared?” I countered, becoming defensive all at once. Recalling their hissing words, I added, “And their voices were so creepy. How did you hiss like that? You sounded just like them!”

But Jareth had reached the end of his so-called patience. Rewarding me with an expression of scorn, he roared, “It’s no small wonder our Brotherhood can control you so easily! You humans simply beg for domination!”

My own anger flared. I was fed up with him, but I didn’t have a chance to respond as Rafael cut in softly, “
Our
Brotherhood?”

Jareth recoiled and retreated immediately into silence.

Studying him intently, Rafael advanced. “And you spoke with them?”

There was something in his tone that made me pause.

Suddenly, the realization struck me. “You didn’t hear them!” I was astonished.

Rafael stood still and gave me a terse nod of acknowledgement. “What did they say?”
he asked.

When it was apparent Jareth had no intention of answering, I repeated the exchanges that I’d heard. And while he pretended not to care, I could tell Jareth was listening attentively to my every word.

The way he did it made me suddenly suspicious.

I scowled.

He was hiding something. He was acting superior, like he knew more than I did.

It wasn’t all that hard to figure out. He looked guilty.

“You heard them say a lot more than I did, didn’t you?” I accused him suddenly.

Knowing that he’d betrayed himself, he leaned back on the couch, stretched his legs and closed his eyes like he simply planned to ignore us from then on.

“How is this possible?” Rafael whispered hoarsely, eyeing the mirror with a haunted expression before turning back to Jareth. “How can you speak with them? And how did you send them back?”

Jareth ignored him, remaining mute, sprawled out on the couch like he didn’t have a care in the world.

Reaching the couch in two strides, Rafael grabbed a handful of Jareth’s shirt and bodily lifted him up. Placing his face an inch from Jareth’s startled one, he warned in a low voice, “You know that I don’t care to repeat myself!”

Jareth’s lip lifted in contempt before he shrugged and then shoved Rafael back a little. Tossing his head so that his dark hair half covered his face, he gave a low, hollow laugh. “I’ve always been different. Of all Fae, you should know
that
at least. But I have no answers for you, Rafael.” He paused and glanced at the mirror with an unreadable expression.

Rafael folded his arms and waited, but his body language clearly indicated that he wasn’t going to wait long.

In a voice so low that I could barely make out his words, Jareth acknowledged, 
“Yes, I heard them. But I don’t know how. I heard them earlier at the pet store and then from across the street at Sydney’s house. And not only do I hear them, I understand them. They are the Brotherhood of the Snake. They do not give birth nor do they die. In ancient times, they roamed both Avalon and Earth, serving as guides to enlightenment before the Shadow People condemned them to the second dimension where they’ve been trapped for century upon century.”

Rafael looked at him, aghast.

Jareth bowed and with a flamboyant gesture, added in a mocking tone, “Thus ends the extent of my knowledge.”

Silence fell. There really wasn’t much to say.

Finally, Rafael straightened and his face hardened into a mask of determination. “Then we’ve merely discovered more questions to be answered, Jareth, as is clearly our fate.”

Jareth drew his brows together, reminding darkly, “Our Blue-Threaded fate.”

“Yes, our Blue-Threaded fate,” Rafael repeated, looking him straight in the eye. “Never forget that our Blue Threads hold the promise we’ll solve this for the benefit of all.”

That was the first time I’d ever heard Rafael position a Blue Thread as a positive thing. I wasn’t sure if it was a sign of how dire things had become, but I decided I didn’t care. We’d always been so focused on the negative outcome that I kept forgetting what good a Blue Thread might do.

To think that we could make the right choice was heartening, and all at once I felt inspired to stand up and to fight to make it happen.

I glanced at Jareth, expecting a cynical response but he was mute once again.

Inclining his head towards the mirror, Rafael continued, “First, we must ensure this path is closed to them. Jareth, if you know how they appeared then speak at once. Pray do not hide this amongst your secrets.”

In a voice drained of all emotion and energy, Jareth merely nodded his chin in my direction. “Don’t look to me! Sydney called them.”

“I did
not
!” I snorted indignantly.

“I didn’t mean consciously.” Jareth shrugged, wearily settling back onto the couch. “But you
did
call them through the mirror.”

I was astonished at the mere suggestion. “How could I do that? I’m human, and I don’t even know how to use that mirror!” I waved my hand at it and then stopped abruptly as my gaze fell on the Fae bracelet still encircling my wrist.

We all made the same connection at once.

“Get it off!” I gasped, overwhelmed with repulsion. I ran to Rafael, virtually thrusting my hand into his face. “Get it off before I accidentally do it again!”

His elegant fingers caught my wrist, and he pulled me forward a little. I stumbled, falling hard against his chest. His eyes widened at the impact, but he didn’t move away as his dark lashes dropped to inspect the golden bracelet on my wrist.

I froze, keenly aware of his hard, toned muscles pressed against me even as I strove to control my rising panic. It was strange that I could feel two things at once. And then I didn’t care anymore how handsome he was. I suddenly just wanted someone to hug me and to tell me everything was going to be ok.

“Curious,” Rafael murmured, lightly tracing his thumb against my palm. “Apparently, you did more a few days ago than just change the security codes.”

It had only been a few days ago that I’d stood beside him, watching the blue arc of light that only I could access join the other colors in the mirror. He’d said then that it was because I was human, because I could dream. But how did that enable me to summon the lizard people? Numbly, I watched him tap the bracelet as he’d done before, but this time, it didn’t respond.

Drawing his brows together, he gently tugged it.

It refused to budge.

His brows shot up, and he pulled harder.

“What’s wrong?” I stepped away, shaking my wrist and trying to remove it myself. It was firmly stuck. “Why isn’t it coming off?”

“I don’t know,” Rafael answered. The disbelief was evident in his eyes.

It was too much for Jareth. He was there in an instant, trying to yank the bracelet off with such force that I was certain he’d take my hand with it.

“Enough!” I yelled at him, tempted to slap him in the face. “I
want
my hand!”

Jareth’s lips twisted into an arrogant sneer. “We could remove your hand and reattach it easily enough. You’d never know the difference.” He surveyed me, his lip curving into a half-smile.

My mouth dropped open and I shoved him back. I couldn’t tell if he was joking or not, but I didn’t want to take any chances.

“That’s unnecessary, Jareth.” Rafael’s eyes narrowed briefly.

I closed my mouth and swallowed. I’d grown too comfortable with them. They weren’t human. How did I know what they really wanted, who they really were, and why they were taking such an interest in me?

But then, I had to admit that the average human was just as secretive. They hid themselves and their motives, too. Were we really all that different?

I stared at Rafael standing very close to me. I could see his
Adam’s apple, collarbone, and the strong line of his jaw.
He sure didn’t seem like an alien. In fact, he seemed quite the opposite. He was honorable, fascinating, and incredibly handsome.