Hopeless Magic (Star-Crossed #2)

I squeezed Lilly’s hand tighter as I watched Terrance and then Avalon both enter the room. Amory turned towards us, his expression one of pure excitement. He held out his hand to Lilly and she accepted the offer silently.

“I’m afraid you won’t be able to join us, Eden dear, unless you are also willing to become a part of our humble cause tonight,” I saw the hope in his black eyes and felt ashamed when I shook my head no.

“Then you must wait out here,” his smile softened into a sadder version of happiness. I was struck with guilt. Some small part of me understood that I could not waver in the middle much longer. Sooner or later I would have to make a choice: I would have to join a cause that would eventually lead to the death of the person I loved with all of my soul, or I would have to turn my back on this cause and alienate myself entirely from the only family I would ever have.

I squeezed Lilly’s hand one more time before letting go and gave her an encouraging smile. She returned my smile with renewed confidence and I suddenly felt envious. Her brilliant emerald eyes shone with sheer determination and something more, something much like victory. Then, Amory was lighting the door and I watched them disappear behind the thick wall of stone.

Can I watch? I spoke to my twin brother telepathically, hoping he would understand my need to be involved. Although I could have easily opened our twin sense and made the decision for myself, I felt obligated to ask Avalon for his permission. I had a hard time invading his privacy unannounced. He, on the other hand, had absolutely no problem spying on me.

As long as you don’t interrupt. Avalon replied, slightly exasperated. I loved my brother dearly, but when he was in super commando-leader mode, I couldn’t help but find him more than a little irritating.

I leaned against the cool stone wall in the wide passageway. On this side of the door the torches flickered, casting long shadows on the rough floor. I closed my eyes and melted my mind with Avalon’s, opening my senses with our similar magic. I saw through his eyes, heard through his ears and felt through his senses.

Although my vision was limited to what Avalon was looking at, I could still take in the room. The space behind the thick stone door was smaller than I had imagined it to be. A large, worn wooden chair sat in a circular area, illuminated only by candle light. Hundreds of tiered candles sat on long, low tables circling the rooms. They took up most of the wall space, except where a door was located.

There were four other doors besides the stone one blocking my path. They were wooden, not made from stone; however, the same symbolic snake crested them as well. A deep pot of sorts sat not far from the lone chair that Lilly had now taken. The large cauldron was full of some type of iridescent liquid and although I couldn’t see any fire beneath the pot, it seemed to be bubbling as if boiling.

Avalon stared at Lilly intently. I could see the tension in her eyes and she gripped the arm rests of the chair tightly with both hands. Amory was asking her a series of questions and she nodded confidently despite the terror I could tell she was feeling.

Avalon was also tense; I could feel that he was afraid she would back out. I could feel him admire her beauty, which felt a little bizarre coming from Avalon, and that he would desperately like her to join the cause. In part, but not entirely, he felt that way because he thought Lilly would have influence over me. I smiled from outside of the door, wondering if he was right.

“Lillian Elizabetta Mason, you are about to join a cause that stands directly opposed to the Monarchy and King and if you are found out, the price is your life. Are you sure you want to give up your rights as an Immortal, your eternal life as an Immortal and your fate as an Immortal, surrendering them all under the cause of the Resistance?” Amory asked Lilly gravely.

She responded with a strong “Yes.”

“Then, Lilly, through any trial, tribulation, torture and trap, the Resistance will always give you aid, always give you support and always give you sacrifice. You are, little sister, one of us, wholly, and forever.”

Amory paused to smile benevolently and reassuringly at Lilly before gesturing toward Conrad and Terrance. They moved towards Lilly in slow, but swift movements, and then began to strap her down with restraints attached to the chair I hadn't noticed before.

I stood up straight, overcome with anxiety for my dear friend. Why on earth would they need to strap her down? She looked like she was about to be electrocuted by some old-school torture tool, something straight out of a fifties era death-row chamber. And, although I could see that Lilly was willfully allowing them to tie her to the chair, and through it all seemed to have significantly calmed down, I could not believe she really understood what she was about to go through.

I began to pace the hallway nervously, doing my best to find a way into that room. If things went badly for Lilly, I refused to do nothing. I did not risk my life to save her in Romania from Lucan, only to bring her back to Omaha and watch her die at the hands of my brother and grandfather.

Calm down. You’re so dramatic. Avalon sent me a thought and I inwardly cringed, realizing I had promised not to interrupt him.

You better not hurt her. I seethed through my thoughts, finding it slightly ironic he was the one calling me dramatic. He rolled his eyes, not only inwardly but physically as well.

Eden, the whole process is hurt. She’s going to be in a lot of pain in just a few seconds and there is absolutely nothing you can do about it. Just remind yourself that she chose this path, and this path comes with a price. Avalon’s words hit a nerve and I was suddenly agitated. I knew that he didn’t mean to hurt me, but he was right. She chose this path willingly and there was absolutely nothing I could do about it.

When I tuned back in to the events unfolding beyond the stone door, Lilly was completely buckled down, from the top of her head to the soles of her feet. She looked painfully uncomfortable even if this was her choice. Besides the chair restraints, Conrad, Terrance and Amory had also taken hold of her as if adding to the support of the buckles.

Angelica stood in the corner near the bubbling cauldron of shimmering light. She had put on a pair of long, thick work gloves and held a lengthy, cylindrical glass tube with a bulb on one end and a narrowed point on the other. When Amory nodded his head, Angelica dipped the cylinder into the vessel point-side down. She stirred the flickering illumination around until the tube itself seemed to be full of the same mysterious mixture, something not quite liquid, not quite light.

When the glass bulb itself began to glisten, she pulled the cylinder out of the cauldron. Angelica walked carefully, methodically over to Lilly, holding the glass cylinder by the point. Once she reached her, she took a long moment to breathe and meditate before pressing the bulb against Lilly’s neck and jawbone just beneath her right earlobe.

Suddenly I understood the restraints. As soon as the glass tube touched Lilly’s skin she let out a blood-curdling scream that engulfed the small room. I covered my ears instinctively, although technically no sound reached beyond the stone door.

Lilly began to thrash aggressively, despite the fact that she had three grown men and numerous buckles holding her down. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head and I could see her seize violently. She continued to scream, loud and menacingly, a sound that would haunt me for a very long time.

Despite Lilly’s struggle, Angelica continued to hold the glass cylinder to her neck, never faltering, never moving. I noticed the light inside the tube begin to drain, and Lilly's skin begin to turn a shade of shimmering violet. Her entire being was engulfed in the beautiful lilac, shining and glistening.

If my friend wasn’t in so much terrifying pain I would have found the effect absolutely captivating. Unfortunately, despite her beauty, Lilly seemed to be in an insurmountable depth of hurt. She continued to scream and shake long past the last drops of light had drained into her skin.

Suddenly the shimmering lavender intensified into a deep and bright purple, painting everything in the small room with its concentrated color. As quickly as the color grew bright, it diminished into a small snake eating its tail just below the earlobe of Lilly’s right ear. And finally there was silence. Lilly slumped, unmoving in her chair.

I relaxed, exhaling a breath I had not realized I was holding. Apparently my relief was premature; however, as only seconds after Lilly calmed down, she began again with another round of screaming and thrashing. I left Avalon’s head unable to withstand the sight of my dear friend enduring so much pain. I cowered against the wall and let out a choking sob.

The door opened slightly and Avalon slipped through to my side of the stone. His face was etched with the same pain that I imagined mine was, minus the tears. He stood facing me with a mixture of sorrow and exhaustion that aged him for a moment. For only a moment, I didn’t see my sometimes irritating and always over dramatic twin brother. In his place I saw a great leader, and a great man. I shook my head quickly, reminding myself of the here and now.

“Where is she?” I peered around Avalon, expecting the door to open again at any second.

“She has to stay here for a while. She has to recover,” Avalon spoke softly and with compassion.

“What do you mean? We have school,” I said plainly, as if the choice Lilly just made shouldn’t interfere with high school.

“Lilly won’t be able to come to school for a while, Eden. You don’t need to worry about her though; she’s in very capable hands,” Avalon began walking towards the exit and I followed, realizing he was right.

“She will be alright?” I asked timidly. I wanted to trust him, I knew I needed to trust him, but the image of Lilly facing so much physical pain would give me nightmares. I could not imagine willingly going through the same torture myself.

“Of course. I’m just fine, aren’t I?” Avalon replied. I held back a sarcastic thought. “Just fine,” was pretty relative. “Besides don’t you have a rendezvous with what's his name? You'd better forget about Lilly for now, until that kid isn’t around anymore. Eden, he can’t know anything about her induction, got it?” His compassion had turned into hard lecturing, although I did understand his point.

“I got it,” I replied, confident that it wouldn’t be a problem, but uncertain Lilly’s induction wouldn’t cloud my thoughts the rest of the evening, all the same. “And you can use Kiran’s name. Amory’s not going to kick you out or anything.”

Avalon only grunted his reply. We both knew Amory was not the problem. Avalon hated Kiran with a passion and never missed an opportunity to remind me.

Despite Avalon, I blushed at the thought of seeing Kiran tonight. I hadn’t seen him alone since before we came home, at his hotel suite in Geneva, Switzerland. Our time there was so intimate and special I had been nervous about seeing him again since.

Kiran sent Talbott over late last night to inform me of our date tonight. Well, I didn’t really know if you could call it a date, but we would finally get to be together…. away from school, away from Seraphina and away from Talbott. The horror of Lilly’s induction faded quickly when replaced with the sweet thoughts of my upcoming moments with Kiran.