The Swarm Trilogy (60 page)

“Eloh told me to look for the one whose mind is clear,” I said. Reychel and Mark’s eyes met. “I think it’s my mother.”

“Your mother?” Reychel asked. “Why would you think that?”

I took a deep breath. It was time to lay all my cards on the table. “I’ve seen her.”

“So you’re our little trespasser. Why doesn’t that surprise me?” She looked at her son. “Did you know about this?”

“Not when it first happened. Lianne found the community accidentally while she was riding Aphotica. I didn’t know about it until afterward.”

“And I suppose you helped her go back and taught her how to get around the gifted alarms we had set in place?”

“Yes, I did. Lianne is perfectly capable of taking care of herself in a situation like that. No one was ever in danger.”

“Except maybe everyone in Serenia.” Reychel’s voice growled deep within her throat. “Lianne’s mother was never fully severed. She’s only being shielded from her memory.”

“What?” I nearly dropped the book. “But I was told…”

“I know what you were told,” Reychel snapped back. “The severing didn’t work. She was too powerful. We have gifted guards remotely shielding her memory at all times. That’s why the entire community is under constant surveillance. We even have someone on the inside, keeping an eye on Kiran every moment of the day. It’s your old friend, Mags. She wanted to help make things right. She volunteered to take the position. We can only check in with her once a week, though, since she’s not gifted.”

I ran my hands through my hair. That explained Mags’ presence. I hadn’t even guessed for a moment that she was there undercover. She played her part well and her friendship to me rang true. She hadn’t told anyone I had visited.

“Why didn’t anyone tell me?” My voice rose several pitches. I frantically thought back to our visits, wondering if I’d done anything that could have given her access or set her free.

“We didn’t want you to be afraid, Lianne. We were trying to help you recover. Once you’d come out of your shell, we were going to tell you.” Reychel stepped away from Mark, standing tall. Her head barely reached my nose and I knew she was trying to show me how strong she was.

“I am not, nor have I ever been some fragile baby,” I said. “Because you withheld this from me, I might have hurt everyone. Again. So much of the pain I’ve caused has been accidental because no one told me the truth to start.” I glared at Chase. “Did you know?”

He held his hands up in front of him. “Absolutely not. If I knew, I never would have helped you get back in there.”

“None of us thought you’d be foolish enough to seek her out.” Reychel stood firm. Mark’s expression didn’t change. While I appreciated the way he supported his wife, I wanted him to have some kind of reaction. Was he so blinded by love that anything she said was right?

“She’s my mother!”

“She killed Bryden. You owe her nothing. She should mean nothing to you. Why did you even bother with her once you found out where she was? What on earth possessed you to go back?”

I stood still, stunned. She was right. I’d let my hope for a relationship get in the way. I crossed my arms across my chest, clutching the book. My hands formed fists. I was angry at her, angry with myself, and furious with my mother for fooling me. Even if she didn’t remember, she was using me again. All she really wanted was access to magic.

“I didn’t tell my mother how to disable the safeguards you set in place. I didn’t fully trust her, even though I really wanted to. As for why I went back to see her? I was looking for something that wasn’t there. My whole life I’ve wanted a normal family, one who loves me unconditionally. If I thought, even for a moment, that she could someday provide me with that, then I wasn’t a fool. I was a dreamer.”

“A dreamer who could get everyone killed.” Reychel didn’t budge from her spot.

“I didn’t compromise anything,” I said through gritted teeth. My magic stirred inside me, but I pushed it away.

“So you say. I’ll double my men on her. If she escapes, or worse yet, reverses the spell blocking her from her memory, we’re all in for a major battle. At least the Malborn are predictable. We know what they want and what they’re willing to do to get it. Your mother is a rogue player in this battle.”

“Do what you need to make sure she’s contained,” I said, clutching the book even tighter. “I’m sorry I did what I did, but it’s your mess to clean up. If I’d known the truth in the first place, I wouldn’t have visited her.”

“I just want this war over.” Reychel’s eyes fell. “I’ve been fighting since the morning of my fifteenth birthday. Twenty years later and I’m still fighting every second of the day. I hope you find what you need in that book, because I’m getting tired of all of this.”

“You’re not the only one.” I flicked my fingers and opened a portal to my chamber. “Are you coming with me?” I asked Chase. He nodded and walked to my side.

Mark chuckled. The three of us stared at him. “You and Reychel are so much alike. No wonder you don’t get along.”

I rolled my eyes and stepped through the portal. I was nothing like Reychel. I couldn’t even imagine how that comment made Chase feel. He arrived in my chambers only seconds after I did, then closed the portal behind him.

“Sorry about my parents.” Chase leaned over, pushed my hair aside, and kissed me on the forehead.

I waved my hand. “They’re fine. I suspect this is how a normal family works. Not like mine that gave me up for adoption, just to further their own evil plots, then my mother killed my boyfriend. I’d rather deal with yours than mine.”

I grabbed Chase’s hand, pulling him behind me toward the bed.

“I thought you were going to read the book.”

I gave him a sideways glance. “Don’t get too excited. I am going to read. It’s just more comfortable in bed than on a chair at the table.” His face fell. Clearly he’d been hoping for a little something more than just snuggling on the bed.

“I know, I know. Time is running out. The Malborn could be here soon.” Chase reclined on the bed, resting his head on his crossed arms.

I settled in next to him and opened the book Reychel gave me. “It looks like a journal. Written by a goddess?” I raise an eyebrow.

“Legend has it that Eloh was just as human as you and I. The gods chose her to bring two sons into the world. They were the first reborn with the gift in centuries. Then after her death, she ascended and became a goddess.

“How do you know? Just because someone said she did?” It was so frustrating to take their religion and try to translate it into my reality. I didn’t believe any of it, not as fervently as they did at least, and yet I had to understand it all to know what to do.

“It’s called faith, Lianne.” He shrugged.

I ran my fingers through my hair. “I have to turn your faith into my reality. I need facts. People could die if I don’t understand what to do!”

Chase wrapped his arms around me and set his chin on my shoulder. “People will die no matter what you do. You can’t control everything. You can’t save everyone.”

“Don’t you think I know that?” Bryden’s face flashed in my mind. If only I could talk to him again. Maybe he’d know something. He might be able to help me. Maybe he could talk to these other dead people, these so-called gods and goddesses.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean it that way. You were thinking of Bryden, weren’t you?”

I nodded, my hair running up and down Chase’s cheek. He snuggled into me, my back nestled into his chest. “Remember how I told you I heard Bryden’s voice?” I hesitated to even bring it up. He’d gotten so upset when I tried before.

Chase took in a deep breath, his chest swelling up against me. Then he slowly let it out. “Yes, and it’s something I’ve been meaning to bring up to you. I’m the last person to judge anyone else on experiences they’ve had. My visions aren’t easily explained either. If you say you heard Bryden, then I believe you.”

A smile crept across my face. He couldn’t see it, but I hoped he’d hear it in my words. “I thought if we could contact him again, he could help us. Maybe he knows something.”

Chase tapped the book. “I thought we were looking for answers here.”

“I will. I am. It couldn’t hurt to have all the help we could get, you know?”

Chase’s grip on me loosened. He scooted backward, and then slipped off the bed behind me. I grabbed his hand. “Where are you going?” I asked.

“To get someone who can help you contact Bryden again.” His eyes didn’t betray any emotion. I wanted to know why he was offering now and why he didn’t offer the first time.

“Are you sure?” I squeezed his hand, but he didn’t return the gesture. This couldn’t be easy for him.

He nodded. “I’ll be back soon.” He left without another word, leaving me alone with Eloh’s diary. I took a deep breath and opened the first page.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

I’d barely gotten past the recounting of Eloh’s life up until the moment she was chosen as an initiate, when Chase burst through the door. Frustrated because I hadn’t learned anything useful yet, I opened my mouth to yell at him until I realized someone was right behind him.

Xaxier. I took a deep breath, reminding myself he wouldn’t hurt me. It had all been an act. He’d been nothing but kind to me since Bryden’s death. He’d played the part of an eager torturer all too well.

“Hi.” I couldn’t think of anything else to say. Wasn’t there anyone in the castle who could connect me with the dead other than him? It made sense. He was their undertaker.

“Hello, Lianne. Chase said the two of you needed my help, but he didn’t elaborate. How can I help?”

I wanted to tell him to go away. I didn’t want him to be a part of contacting Bryden. Instead, I sat dumbly, exchanging a blank expression with Chase.

“He’s the only one, Lianne.” Chase’s veiled apology confirmed what I’d feared. We had no other choice.

“Can you help me contact Bryden? The night of Elessia’s funeral, he spoke to me in the cemetery.”

Xaxier’s eyebrows rose. “Really? I’d felt a presence that night, but I assumed it was Elessia. This is intriguing. The dead don’t normally make first contact with the loved ones they left behind. Usually the bereaved are the ones who reach out.”

“You can really speak to the dead?”

“I can.” He dipped his chin, and then straightened again. Humility lined his face. Interesting, he didn’t think his gift was one worth bragging about. “Some days it’s more of a curse then a blessing.”

“Can you talk to Eloh?”

Chase sucked in a deep breath. I’d probably spoken of something heretical. He should be used to it by now.

Xaxier chuckled. “No, Lianne. I can’t speak with the gods.”

“They’re dead, so why not? What makes them different?”

“They exist on a different plane. Not everyone who dies is elevated to godhood. They are given different abilities and responsibilities.”

I was confused. No one had ever explained it to me this way before. “Who decides who is a god and who is not?” I imagined an entire kingdom outside of my existence. Hierarchy, slavery, all of it mirroring life here.

“I don’t have an answer to that. I suspect only the gods and goddesses know. They haven’t bothered to fill me in. Plenty of people maintain faith in the face of mystery. I assume you’re questioning everything right now. That’s normal. Don’t feel ashamed.” Xaxier stole a quick glance at Chase. “And no one should make you feel guilty for it either. You are not born of our people. It is not your responsibility to understand our ways, much less our religion.”

I sighed, placing my hands in my lap. “Then can you help me speak to Bryden again? I assume he’s not a god.”

Xaxier smiled again. “He is not. He is in the world of spirits. He does watch over you though.”

“How do you know? Have you spoken with him?” It felt strange to talk about Bryden as if he’d moved to another country instead of dying.

“No, but I can feel his presence now. I can feel all of the dead. I merely need to think of them and I’m comforted by their spirits.” Xaxier walked toward me, his hands extended. “If you’re ready to start, we can contact him now.”

I nodded and joined hands with Xaxier. My sweaty palms glided over his clammy skin. I glanced up into his dark eyes, contrasting with the pale, almost translucent, skin of his face.

“Good. Keep looking into my eyes. Let go of your expectations and fears. Allow yourself just to be in this moment.”

I felt my thoughts calm as he continued to soothe me into a quiet lull. I closed my eyes.

A swirl of colors pulled me outside of my chambers, outside of my body, and into a realm I’d never entered. I panicked, and then felt an arm around my shoulder, helping me relax.

Lianne.

I’d know that voice anywhere.
Bryden.
I said it, or I thought I did. I wasn’t sure where, or what, I was. Everything felt different. I felt different.

A laugh vibrated through my body, but it wasn’t my laugh. It was his.
It’s me.

Are you always close to me?
I thought it. Or felt it. I wasn’t sure. All I knew was that I wasn’t talking, or fully in my body.