Vindicate

  “Then what do I do? What is this all really about? What fate have I chosen? Why am I punished for it?”

  “You rise. You rise above dualities. You understa nd where someone is coming from. You embrace their beliefs with respect and honor. You never push yo ur point of view upon them.” He lowered his head to chase my wondering glance. He knew he was getting through to me. “For any awaking in any soul must come from them. Be the example. Be the person your soul is leading you to be .”

  A heavy silence bellowed through the room. The anxious emotions from them all led me to believe that they felt that I alone I could do what August had advised. They thought I needed Landen. I knew I could be that person. But right now, anger was keeping me sane. I wasn’t a lovesick helpless girl. I was a furious soul who could not understand why that each time I pushed for peace I found hell.

  “Tell me, Willow, who do you know in this life that has no knowledge of dualities ? Who do you know that finds the essence of light in everything and everyone ? Who has been your guiding light ? Who whispers , ‘patien ce’?”

  I glanced over my shoulder at Brady to find his eyes waiting on me. One might think that August was referring to Pelhan, his world, but Brady and I knew differently. August was speaking of Allie, Preston, and Libby.

  I looked back at August. “The children.”

  A smile beamed across his face. “Correct … by the time your purpose is filled. The world will be cons umed with people just like them. There will come a time when instead of teaching our children to follow conformity , we will teach them to follow their soul. To create their own path and avoid every path that has been made…for when they are on that path , their purpose will be hidden. I t is only when they are on the correct life path that doorways that can only be seen by them will open. That will be when both light and darkness find peace…when it is no longer a war of right and wrong , but an existence that basks in the glory that it is…it will be time when war…hate…anger do not exist.”

  “That is a beautiful endin g…but I still do not understand. A ll I see is a battle for my heart – all I see are trials that are cruel.” I swallowed my fury feeling the pain in my core once more. “All I feel is the desire for revenge on what has been done to these people. To our family.”

  August sque ezed my hands. “Rise above that. Rise above what you see , and seek what you cannot. I f a Scorpio can rise above duality – override the natural craving for revenge when wronged…then anyone can.”

  Tears glassed over m y eyes. “I just want to go home. I w ant to take him home .”

  August let go of my hand and placed it on my chest. “This is home. Right here in your soul. The path you take – the very human emotions you feel today will be the lessons of tomorrow. No one in history reached great ness without hardship. Without sacrifice.”

  “I will not sacrifice any of you.”

  August let his hands fall from me . He was not smiling , but his eyes still sparkled. “Landen has spoken the same words. Long before he ever met you. That is how I know that both of you will prevail…my lesson today will not bring i mmediate change in your thought, but somewhere on your path , whether it be today or a hundred years from now , you will remember this moment. You will see what is escaping you now.”

  “Yo u still think we are immortal. Even after every brush of death we have faced. With the one we’re facing now?”

  August looked over his shoulder at my father , then back to me. “When I told you that your life would be long…and at some point you would grow weary of youth and accept age – you were help ing people. You and Landen were giving your energy to images that appear before you – you were helping your friends. Today , you have stopped that. Today , each of you are giving your energ y to each other and no one else. That is making you very mortal.”

  “I can’t help anyone if they don ’t appear. The only people wh o have needed our energy is us. These trials have stolen that privilege from us.”

  “They have not,” August said , raising his eyebrows. “Your intent has . Where your focus is , is where you’re led. You have forgotten the innocen ce of your beginning. The pure , innocent love you had. The desire to help others.”

  “I’m trying to help millions , not just one anymore – can you not see that ?”

  “Can you not see that by helping one , you are helping millions ? That if you throw a pebble into a river , it w ill cause a ripple , and that ripple will travel across the surface , making waves that did not exist before ?”

  I gritted my teeth. “Fine. If or when I see an image again , I will help.”

  “You will not see one until your intent is set there.” August assured.

  “Well, right now my intent is set on bringing them back – there isn’t room for any other notion.”

  August gave me a weak , sardonic smile , then slightly bowed his head before returning to Landen’s side. I didn’t know what to say or do. I thought for sure Alamos would argue the points August tried to make , but when my eyes met his , I saw a pleading – a pleading for me to listen to what August had said. Maybe under different circumstances , I would have. Right now , I wanted a cut and dry answer to what I was facing.

  Alamos ’ eyes moved to Drake , and he kept them there , not bothering to push me to any kind of understanding.

  “Marc –starting the mourning process. That will stop the war?” Brady asked as his arms fell from around me ; he was starting to trust my control.

  “We can hope,” Perodine said bleakly. “The thing is – this world is also superstitious. If the weather keeps up – they will not hold to the rituals of mourning ; they will begin to fight with each other. A ll the different point s of view will clash, and the result of that will be a death warrant for all of us.” Her eyes carefully moved over me. “You’re going to have to stay calm. Do not give them a reason to think that something is off. That the devil i s at large.”

  “He is at large . How can they fear him when they willing let him rule them for millions of years – if he is their religion?” I asked in a dismayed tone , still not seeing August’s point of view.

  “Willow , t hey think he is protecting them from the devil .” Rose said. “That he is their last hope . You cannot undo millions of years with in a matter of days , ” she moved to my side as she locked eyes with August. I knew then that this notion of dualities was one t hat they had discussed before. One Rose agreed with.

  “Mars represents war , ” Perodine added .

  “What else ?” I asked .

  “You want me to be blunt ?” s he asked.

  “Yes , ” I said as calmly as I could as I looked into her eyes.

  “Sex .”

  “What?!” I spun my ring as fast as I could as I glanced qu ickly from Landen’s body to her . I already knew what that girl that took them was capable of. I swear if she was doing that to Landen there was no hope of me reaching any duality. I felt sick.

  “You heard me . I’m not the least bit surprised that you saw a seductive girl with them . Sex . Power . War . Heat . Fire . That is Mars , ” Perodine said bluntly.

  “Are you saying she’s seducing them?! That they ’re trapped in an illusion with her?!” I asked as rage crept through me. I felt Rose’s hand on my arm , and Brady resum ed his grip on my arms.

  “I don’t know , ” Perodine mumbled , refusing to make me a promise she couldn ’t.

  “You better find out , ” I seethed.

  “Willow , they cannot be seduced by anyone but you , ” Alamos said , defending Perodine.

  “Yeah, well, I would have said the same thing about Dane a few days ago – and I would have been wrong , ” I argued. My imagination was cruel to me. I could almost see what was very well happing to them at this moment.

  “Not entirely , ” August commented as he ran water across Landen’s brow once m ore. “That wasn’t his actions. This devil can consume anyone, but I promise you , it cannot seduce their soul . We are preventing a war here , while they fight o
ne in their minds . Though seduction may play a role –it’s the one thing you should not have to fear.”

  “How can you be so sure?” I asked . Please. Please. Someone assure me that demon was not forcing Landen to cross a sacred line.

  August looked up at me. “Because they are already in love with the most seductive sign in the zodiac : you , a Scorpio . Your sig n wrote the book on that power, and no one can top you in that manner.”

  “Another Scorpio , ” I argued , trying not to blush. The last thing I wanted to do was speak about the private moments I had with Landen in this life.

  August ’s eyes filled with sympathy . “No. The darkness you fight does not carry a sign. I n fact , I would venture to say that if you did find another Scorpio , they would be more of an asset than a hindrance.”

  “My twin , ” I said hopelessly .

  “Another Scorpio , ” August repeated .

  I moved my head from side to side as m y eyes moved across the room to all of them. “If I reach this realm – if I find them – if I discover that I cannot save Drake because this illusive twin is absent , I will never forgive myself for not arguing my point more fiercely.”

  “I am tirelessly searching.” Perodine said quietly to me. I heard the truth in her voice. Knowing that she believed me was enough to let me drop the subject.

  “What was the deal with the twin males? We were going to find them. Landen knew something – he had found a connection , ” I said as I ached to feel the calm that Landen always had.

  “They ’re looking for them , ” Brady murmured .

  “Who?” I asked , looking behind me at him.

  “Dane, Chrispin – Olivia and Clarissa , ” h e answered .

  “Why can you not find Austin?”

  He winced. Clearly feeling as trapped as I did. “We know he’s in Infante, but he leads the most people to that world. Most of them to the continent of the UK. Chrispin and Dane are searching the homes he has there, and on every continent beyond that. Olivia and Clarissa are in Franklin , trying to find that song she heard in her dreams ; she thinks it will lead to them.”

  I froze in p lace. “I bet it’s the same song. I t was them. They stopped that girl.”

  Chapter Three

  It was clear that every one of us was overwhelmed with not only grief , but lack of direction. You never know how much you depend on someone until they ’re no longer there. The darkness ha d proven to be a worthy adversary. We we re at war – and our leaders, our soldiers that could defend us , Landen and Drake , had been imprisoned . We didn’t have the healing , calm hands of Landen . Though I could perceive both intent and truth , I’d yet to master the gifts he gave me. We didn’t have the face of the King – the fi erce ruler Drake had mocked. We couldn’t stop time and think through our troubles. We were lost without them, yet our lives were forced to move onward, to face not only the world around us , but to seek the realm they were trapped in.

  “Let’s begin the mourning. That’s all we can do while we wait for the others to return , ” Perodine cautiously urged .

  “How are we going to do that? There is no Estate left. No court for Marc to fool , ” I contended. In my opinion we should be sending every traveler worth their title to find Austin. Everything in my being was telling me to do that, but if I was going to be any kind of leader I had to learn the art of compromise. They sooner they figured out how to do this ceremony the better.

  “There is a court ; members stretch across this world , and all have separate beliefs. That is why I told you that we had to give back Delen. That we had to play into the rumors , ” Perodine carefully added.

  “How do you plan on convincing the rest of this world that this city is no longer demented? How are you going to protect the ones I led here? What is going to happen if they are recognized? What then ? What happens when they discover that Drake was fooling them , that he was on our side all along?” They were going to have to prove to me that no one would be harmed with this charade.

  Perodine glance at Alamos telling him to give me his word, trouble was, I would have no idea if he were lying to me or not. “Anyone th at would recognize them is gone. Initiating the mourning will cause every side to reflect – to try and unders tand what is really occurring. For all they know , Donalt is just sick . Drake is in his place until death or he recovers . I t will be a silent argument; it will allow us to not confirm or deny any notion , ” Alamos responded bleakly.

  “I told you there was a reason for everything , ” Brady murmured to me. Well played, Brady, well played. He was offering me comfort and also ensuring I was well aware of what I was capable of. Absolute obliteration.

  “This is the plan , ” Alamos said . “Marc will stand on the balcony – unroll the black cloth to symbolize to the people that mourning has begun . Our only problem is that damn wall that is dividing us from the rest of the world.”

  I smirked. “You have a problem with that wall ? I don’t .” I turned briskly and left the room , feeling Brady at my side and the others daring to follow at a distance. I all but ran down the hall through the study , then to the observatory. The glass box that held my body before – the stools where Landen and Drake sat , were still in place. There was literally no time between that trial and this one. I held in the emotions I was fighting and walked to the door that led to the roof. No one ventured to stop me.

  I wasn’t a fool ; I wasn’t go ing to show myself to this world – let any traitors see me. I stopped at the top step – right when I could see the wall. Deep inside , I pulled my emotions into one source and blew wind from my lips. I imagined this wall drifting apart . To me , it was nothing more than A utumn leaves moving with the wind. With my en ergy, the stones moved slowly with divine grace . The ground didn ’t tremble when they fell. There were no screams of horror or fear. The stre ets were vacant . The souls in this city had taken cover. Obviously staying in doors until they knew the storm had ended, that it was safe once again . When every stone had fallen , I stepped back into the stairwell. I felt a tinge of relief, like some of the energy I was caging in my core was able to escape. I swayed slightly feeling dizzy once again. I fought against that feeling. I didn’t need any of them to try and ‘help’ me, or worse, think I was too weak to survive alone.

  Brad y was the only one in the stairwell with me. He witnessed my struggle but said nothing. That act allowed me to trust him . “You got this , ” h e said determinedly . There was almost a hint of truth in his words. He knew I was weak, exhausted, that my thoughts were scattered, that I had barley recovered from the last trial. I was grateful to have him next to me. To have someone tell me the lies I needed to hear. The ones I had to believe to find my truth, my tomorrow.

  “Maybe they ’ll think the storm did it , ” I said sorrowfully , really not knowing what I wanted anyone to believe – understanding that I was fi ghting several points of view. Beliefs.

  “They will , ” h e promised as he placed his hand on my back and led me down the stairs. I walked as fast as I could back to the room where Landen and Drake’s bodies laid.

  Alamos and Perodine were staring out the window. My father and Au gust were with Drake and Landen, while Rose was staring at me from the center of the room.

  “Problem solved , ” I said gruffly . “Let’s mourn.”

  Alamos turned to look at me , raising one eyebrow. If I had to guess , I would say he both feared and respected me. Without Landen here to tell me otherwise , I was blind.

  “And while you’re at it – tell someone to take those coffins out of the observatory.”

  “We might --”

  I cut Alamos off before he could finish his sentence. “We don’t need them . I f they die , I die . The story is over . You’re not hindering us from moving on to another life. To a life where we ’ll end this.”

  “It ends in this life , ” Brady vowed .

  Perodine left the room to honor my request. Alamos d id nothing to stop her. I glanced up at Brady , who had managed to st
ay within inches of me for the last hour. “You and Rose go home. If Presto n or Libby wanted to come here, or had some advice , there is no one to tell us.”

  “Do you honestly think Felicity would not find a way? Send someone here for us?” h e argued as his blue eyes narrowed with a dare . His intent was set. He was not leaving my side.

  “Brady , ” I said tightly.

  “You and I have a deal , ” h e said stubbornly , holding his solid intent. Which meant we were both trapped . I couldn ’t leave this world without Landen’s body , and Marc couldn ’t leave because we ne eded his image to mock Drake’s. The darkness had truly hindered the fiercest of us.

  “I’ll go alone , ” Rose said , ending the argument.

  “Is the string safe?” I asked .

  Everyone seemed to nod at once. Rose hugged me , then left the room. I hated to admit it, but I was glad to see her go. With her gone no one would know about the emotional war that was raging inside of me. I twirled my ring allowing my nail to scrape against my raw skin. If I kept my focus there I would be good.

  “August,” I said to get his attention. “Have you checked on the looking glass today?”

  His eyes captured mine. “Do I need to?”

  “Well. I don’t think it’s working.”

  “Of course not ; it’s under water , ” Alamos argued. “At least time has not been bothered since it moved there.”

  I held August ’s stare. “Are we sure that’s a good thing?” I asked distantly . “Moving time wouldn ’t be a bad idea right now.”

  “Shame we can’t do that , ” August said , trying to ask me if I had the chance without lettin g the others in on our secret. The secret that we ’d changed the purpose of that looking glass. That now it was meant to lead us back to a moment we needed to change. Something I wanted to do right now. I wanted to turn back time.

  “Agreed. But it’s clear that ’s not happ en ing , ” I responded .

  August nodded , taking in my unspoken conformation that I hadn ’t been given that chance. The universe was forcing me forward.