We were high in the mountains, meeting at a previously decided place. We hiked for hours through the midnight sky, deep into the Romanian wilderness and far from the ominous castle. I couldn't remember exactly where Amory and I waited for Avalon and Jericho and if this was it or if this was some place new entirely. The forest muddled together in my memory, it was all a beautiful haze of thick trees and rough terrain.
“Will you be all right?” Rosalind asked with concern. She stopped her own silent vigil to sit down next to me. Freedom for her rested only moments away and not only that, she would be reunited with her daughter. I felt her joy, and saw the anxious excitement on her face and felt satisfied. I could be miserable a few more minutes to give her peace.
I could be miserable the rest of my life to give my people peace.
“I'll be fine,” I promised. I wiped the sweat away from my forehead with the back of my hand. “It's only a little heat. Besides, I'll have my magic back in no time and I'll hardly remember feeling hot at all.” I smiled with forced confidence, wondering how I would find the strength to pull my own magic from my brother.
“Will it be very hard?” Rosalind asked, referring to the task of reclaiming my magic.
“I don't know,” I answered honestly. “I've never done it before.” When her brow furrowed with concern, I continued quickly, “But, Sebastian has, and so has Avalon, so I know that it is possible. I just have to figure it out for myself.”
“And in enough time so we can get to the castle before dawn,” Kiran mumbled, unconvinced.
“What's your husband's first name?” I changed the subject quickly, unwilling to let Rosalind think Kiran's doubts all the way through. “I know who you are, but Lilly never gave me either of your first names.”
“My husband's name is Allister,” she answered.
“He will be Ok,” I promised, believing my words as much as I wanted her to. “I'll find a way to let him know that you're free, and make sure he is taken care of. I promise,” I whispered the last of my words, not wanting Kiran to hear them and shoot down my commitment with negativity. I knew he could hear me despite my soft tones, but all he did was look at me. He didn't try to dissuade Rosalind or tell her the truth.
“Thank you,” she gushed, a single tear escaping the corner of her eye.
“Eden?” a quiet voice called from a distance.
“I'm here,” I answered back, equally as quiet.
“And you're Ok?” Avalon called carefully from his vantage point at a safe distance.
“Will you just get down here!” I sighed, exasperated. We were on a schedule.
Six figures walked through the trees, spreading out in a semicircle around our small group. They were imposing and cloaked and if I didn't know better I would have felt very intimidated. At least until the smallest of the figures broke rank, crying out in happiness, her vibrant red curls bouncing in the moonlight as she rushed to her mother with arms open.
Lilly and Rosalind found each other, both crying hysterically and squeezing each other tightly. I found myself crying, too, at the joy of watching them reunite. I looked into the distance, wondering where my own mother was but knowing she would have to stay far away from this castle as long as Lucan was alive and ruling.
I was surprisingly swept off my feet and into a tight bear hug. I threw my arms around Avalon in return, finding absolute bliss in being near him and so many others that I loved. He held me to him for a long time, struggling not to cry, while I didn't even bother to stop the flood of tears that drenched my face and his shirt.
“Jericho's here,” he whispered into my ear and I pulled away from him.
“Where?” I demanded, looking beyond him at the men who became recognizable now that they were close.
And then he was there, standing back from the crowd, watching me. I pulled Avalon down to me, kissing his cheek quickly and then pushed him out of the way roughly. I found energy that had been missing for more than a month, ran toward Jericho, frantic to get to him.
Abruptly I was stopped. I pushed angrily against the magical force-field Kiran put into place, frustrated with endless boundaries and constant arguments. I fought against the wall, but Kiran remained unrelenting, torturing me. I turned on him, desperate to get to Jericho and ready to expel my wrath against Kiran.
“I can't let you wander off in the dark,” he defended himself quickly. “Jericho is more than welcome to join our circle. But Eden, you have to understand what a liability you are.”
I opened my mouth to tell him exactly what I understood, but Sebastian beat me to it, “Kiran, I'll keep an eye on her. She's a big girl; she understands what's at risk.”
The force-field dropped with Sebastian's logic and I resumed my elated journey to Jericho. I threw my arms around his neck, while he picked me off the ground, spinning me in a circle. I kept my body pressed against his, my face buried in his neck, inhaling him and reveling in being held by someone who truly loved me.
He set me down on the ground, pulling away ever so slightly. His hazel eyes, glinting with brilliant green, took my own eyes captive in his. His dimples held his smile in place, pure joy marking his angular face. There were no words spoken between us, nothing needed to be said that wasn't communicated in our gaze. His lips found mine then, soft but furtive as he kissed me passionately underneath the Romanian full moon.
I sighed in sweet surrender, feeling his magic wrap around me and press me even tighter to him. I felt the eyes of the crowd watch us and after a few moments, my cheeks flushed red and I couldn't stop the giggle from escaping my lips. I promised myself there would be more of these moments, and at least one more before I left him tonight.
He looked down at me, feeling the urge to get things started tonight as well. He didn't let go right away, but kissed my forehead and whispered gently, “I love you.”
“I love you too,” I whispered back, slipping my hand into his and pulling him toward the crowd.
I left his hand though, once we were back with the others. I hugged Lilly for a long time, sharing in her happiness and promising to send her father soon. I hugged Titus and Gabriel too, both of whom appeared very happy to see that I was all right. I even hugged Silas, who was not exactly sure what to do with me; he hugged me back awkwardly and then said something about being happy I wasn't dead.
“Eden, if you're quite finished, we have a deadline,” Kiran admonished. I shot him a dirty glare, frustrated with how task-oriented he was acting, and how callously he forgot my feelings.
“Of course,” I mumbled, walking over to Avalon, taking his hands. The tattoos that covered his arms were faint shadows in the darkness, but I knew them by heart. I held his hand and pictured the snake wrapped around his forearm, eating its own tail, I pictured the tree that wrapped itself around his torso and wound its barren branches down his arm. I pictured the phoenix rising from the ashes and tonight it symbolized more than immortality, tonight it symbolized the Resistance and the continual effort to survive in a kingdom where we remained hunted.
We stood there for a minute, looking at each other and growing awkward as nothing happened. I assumed foolishly that as soon as our hands connected I would feel my magic jump to the surface, that my blood would spark to life, and that I would recognize my lost magic immediately. But nothing happened.
I tried to pull at something, to use my practiced skills of taking others' magic to find my own, but still nothing happened except I started sweating even worse. I let out a frustrated sigh and stomped my foot impatiently.
“Ok, obviously I don't know how this works!” I declared with a raised voice.
“Just relax, Eden, it will come, it just takes a little time,” Avalon soothed, narrowing his emerald green eyes in concentration.
“You have to let go of it,” I instructed, irritated. “Are you letting go of it?”
“Whoa, you are so not fun to be around without magic,” Avalon joked and I had the urge to kick him in the shin.
“Tell me about it,” Kiran grumbled and I turned around ready for a fight.
Avalon let out an uncontrollable snicker and then Sebastian joined in the laughter.
“Are you kidding me right now?” I demanded. I was more than irritated, I was irate.
“Ok, Ok, let's get serious,” Avalon scolded with mock gravity.
I turned around and reached for Avalon's hands again, waiting for the spark of life I knew my energy was capable of. But still nothing.
“How did you do it?” I asked Avalon humbly. I quieted my frustration and focused on the magic I knew was floating around me.
“I found our connection,” he whispered as if it were a sacred place that only we knew about. And in reality, it was. “Once I found it, I opened it, finding the place in our consciousness that we share.”
I closed my eyes again, leaving the search for my magic and replacing it with the search for my twin connection. With Avalon so close it was relatively easy, exhausting, but easy. Even without shared magic, it was as though I could see through his eyes and feel through his senses. We were joined, united from birth and we shared a connection that was deeper than even magic.
Once I focused on the bond between us, I felt the magic there too. As a mortal, the magic felt peculiar, highly charged and dangerously electric. It would take courage to pull at it, to command it be mine once again. But this wasn't an unfamiliar fear. As I stood convincing myself to try, I realized that I had always been afraid of my magic in one way or the other; afraid of what it was capable of, afraid of how it would change this kingdom, and most afraid of how it would change me.
I took a slow breath and then pulled at the reluctant electricity. Even though Avalon and I shared magic, his half remained unwilling to let mine go. I pulled again at the invisible chain that linked my blood to my supernatural electricity mingled with Avalon's.
Still nothing happened.
“Why isn't it working?” I whined, keeping my eyes shut tight.
“It will,” Avalon promised, “just give it some time.
“I'm so tired,” I grumbled, shifting my weight and shaking my head.
I worked at the magic for several more minutes without progress. I knew where it was, I knew how to find it but that did not make repossessing it any easier. I grew dizzy from the effort and I eventually had to try with my eyes open for fear that I would fall asleep.
“I need a break!” I declared after wobbling unsteadily. I dropped Avalon's hands and a unified sound of disappointment escaped from everyone watching us.
I walked over to a tree and slid down to the ground, pulling my knees to my chest and dropping my forehead on to them. Jericho walked over, sitting down next to me and rubbing my back gently.
“Are you all right?” he asked sweetly. I turned my head toward him, too tired to lift it from my knees and nodded. “You can do this, you are strong enough.” He smiled encouragingly and I nodded again, hoping he was right.
“The last thing she needs right now is to be coddled,” Kiran interrupted, stomping over to us. He grabbed my hands roughly and pulled me forcefully to my feet, staring into my eyes and commanding my attention. “Eden, there are lives at stake, lots of lives. And my father will not hesitate to murder every last one and more if you do not get the magic back right now, do you understand?” I nodded, but he did not wait for more of a response before he rushed on, “Sebastian has done this, Avalon has done this, you will stop acting like a spoiled child and you will get your magic back so we can return to the castle before dawn.”