The harvest, p.32
The Harvest, page 32
“Oh, I can’t do that.”
“Why not?”
“He’s nice, but...he could never help me with my mis—oh, I see what you’re saying. It’s not about the mission.”
“Exactly. He may not be an ally in the way I am, but he might be able to offer you more than you think.”
“Like what?”
“A good laugh. A warm feeling. Companionship.”
“I’ve got you for that last one,” Madeline smiled.
“And not laughter? I’m not funny?”
“You could do better.”
“Oh wow,” she laughed. “Great to hear.”
“I’ll do it,” Madeline said, taking a deep breath afterwards. “I’ll spend more time with Amias.”
“I noticed it wasn’t hard to convince you.”
“Shut up,” she said, staring at the unconscious brothers before them. She sighed and shook her head. “It’s time to get back to work, isn’t it?”
“For now,” Dinah said. “I wouldn’t rest easy while we’re here either. There could be copycats.”
“We should get the other Arcana and reveal what happened.”
“Yep,” Dinah said, about to stand up when the door suddenly burst open.
Madeline rose to her feet as quickly as possible. But she wasn’t sure what to say as she stared at the two girls in front of her.
“Hello,” Natalie said. “No need to stand up on my account.”
“What are you doing here?” Dinah demanded.
Natalie glanced over at her partner. “What are we doing here?”
“What me must,” Leandra said, folding her arms.
“We commend you both,” Natalie said, putting a hand to her chest. “You have earned my respect. To see #14 and,” she paused upon seeing Dinah, “whatever you are...defeat ranks 1 and 2 is not to be taken lightly.”
“How long have you been there?” Dinah said to Leandra. “Behind the door?”
“Nearly the whole time,” Natalie answered for her. “We didn’t think you would survive actually, but to our surprise, you managed to come out on top. And they say more males should be invited to the Harvest.”
“Here to help us clean up?” Madeline hoped. “Get a bit of the glory? I don’t care if we say all four of us worked together.”
“My leg says otherwise,” Dinah muttered.
“We’re here to do what we must,” Natalie smiled. “You’ve done plenty. Please, sit. We’ll take care of the rest.”
“Kill them?” Madeline asked.
“As opposed to what? Letting them live? Come after us again?”
“You can’t kill them,” Madeline retorted. “That’s what they do.”
“It’s what we all do,” Natalie smiled wider. “Don’t act like you’re clean. An Alexander Tate writhes in his grave at the thought.”
Madeline flashed Leandra a cold look, but she gave off no emotion.
“I’m trying to atone for that decision,” Madeline said.
“I don’t care,” Natalie said. “Step aside. Now.”
“No,” Madeline said. “I won’t allow it.”
Natalie sighed and turned to her partner. “Leandra, this is why I didn’t want to talk to them. My original idea is better. Just kill all four of them and be done with it. We’ll automatically be at the top.”
Leandra glanced at Madeline, and then Dinah through the white braids partially covering her face.
“It’s not a terrible idea,” she said.
Chapter 31 – Blood Debt
“I can’t stop you,” Madeline said. “I don’t have the energy...but I promise that I will fight back with everything I’ve got. And every time you look at yourself in the mirror—at the scars I will inflict on your body, or the agony I’ve welled up in your heart, you will remember me, and you will regret your decision. This victory will be a burden, and I will haunt you until the day your deeds come back at you, and someone you know and love decides to murder you in cold blood.”
“Whew,” Natalie said, fanning herself. “I felt chills.”
“Or,” Dinah said. “We can end this before it starts. You can relish in their disgrace, as I’m sure the Ostara will increase your rank upon their defeat, and you can let us all live, because we’re no threat, and they are finished.”
“No threat?” Natalie scoffed. “Look at what you did to them. And you will continue to get stronger. Leandra, please. Just give me the word. I understand she is your sister, but even family can only go so far.”
“Leandra,” Dinah said, looking into her eyes. “Listen to me carefully...I want to release the blood debt.”
Leandra’s eyes went wide as Madeline and Natalie scowled in confusion.
“You’re serious?” Leandra said, blinking rapidly. “What for?”
“This is important to me,” she said.
“What are you asking me?” Leandra said.
“In exchange for your release, I want the brothers to be allowed to live—at least until we get back to Beltane Castle, then you are free to hatch whatever plan you desire. I want no part of it. And obviously, Madeline and I walk away too. You do that, and all is forgiven.”
“What blood debt?” Natalie asked. “Explain.”
“It’s up to you,” Dinah said. Leandra nodded, so she took a deep breath and continued. “Leandra doesn’t feel emotions like we do. She simulates them to fit in and deceive. It’s why her specialty fits her so well. She’s nearly as dead as her subjects.”
Madeline’s mouth dropped as she stared at Leandra in shock. This couldn’t be true, but Dinah, of all people, was declaring it.
“She lives off of her own morals and edicts,” Dinah said, staring into Leandra’s eyes. “I think she does care about me, and others, but it’s more out of principle. It’s because we’re supposed to, to some degree. To become an Ostara, she understands that she has to be caring...sometimes. At least pretend to. Otherwise, the people won’t love her. Respect, maybe. But never love...and she needs both to rule adequately.”
“But what about the blood debt?” Natalie said impatiently.
“When we were little, I destroyed one of her models—of Beltane castle. She had spent months crafting it. It was her most prized possession, and I was just a child, yearning for a playmate. I did it for her attention, and...I never imagined how much I’d get. She was so angry...she killed me.”
“What?” Madeline cried, looking at her friend. How could this be true? Even Natalie looked concerned.
“You have to understand—Leandra’s been practicing her specialty since she was three,” Dinah said, still staring at her sister. “She’s more powerful than you realize, but she hides it well. She lied when she told us she started looking for a specialty when we were well into our school years. Without question, she will one day be an Ostara, but one thing prevents her from believing in herself completely—what she did to me. She fears that her emotions will rule her one day instead of the other way around. She thinks of them as a foreign substance that needs to be conquered, though deep down, she knows they never could be, only suppressed. Her emotions are embedded in her like DNA, and my death was a reminder of her weakness. My parents punished her harshly, but it wasn’t enough to clean the slate in her mind. I was only dead for a few days when she revived me with her specialty.”
“I’m confused,” Madeline said. “If you’re...not alive...how can she keep you resurrected this long?”
“I told you she’s powerful,” Dinah said. “She created a Soul Link between us. It’s a high-level necromancy spell. She can raise someone from the dead, and keep them alive—blood, emotions and all—for as long as she is. It requires a massive amount of magical energy, but she’s trained so hard, and gotten so strong, that she’s probably not even aware of the drain anymore. Am I right?”
“Right,” Leandra said with no emotion.
“When she raised me, she was a mess. She couldn’t believe she had gone that far, and I swore to hurt her bad. I was angry. I wanted her to send me back to the dead, so Mom and Dad would hate her and she would suffer. But she pleaded with me. What would it take, she asked me. What would it take to forget what happened and move forward as sisters? To be a family again? I told her that she had to promise me—that she would never hurt anyone again. If she did, then I would make sure I died again, and no matter how many times she raised me, her life would be hell.”
Madeline shivered once Dinah was finished. For Leandra to reach the rank of #4 with a massive pool of her energy being devoted to keeping Dinah alive—she had to be formidable.
“If you release her of the debt,” Natalie said. “That means she can do whatever she likes, and you will still honor your connection to her as sisters?”
“I won’t always approve of what you do, Leandra,” Dinah said. “But I see good in you. I see love in you, even if you don’t. And that is why I’ll release you. It’s because over all of these years, I’ve seen what you can’t.” She sighed. “You can do whatever you please, even let me go if you desire. You would gain a significant boost in energy.”
“You would easily be ranked #1,” Natalie said, folding her arms. “It appears I made the right decision in choosing you to be my friend.”
“Hmph,” Leandra said, glancing at Natalie. “Well, I’ve made my decision. We let them all go.”
“Are you sure?”
“If I am free of the debt,” Leandra said, “then I have to completely revise my plan in becoming an Ostara, and how I get there.”
“Mind if I tag along and revise with you?” Natalie asked. After hearing Dinah’s story, she was practically drooling to tap into Leandra’s latent abilities.
“I don’t mind,” Leandra said, and then she turned to Madeline. “Please keep what you know about me a secret.”
“I will,” Madeline said. She didn’t know how to feel about Leandra now.
“Hey, come here,” Dinah said. She walked over to Leandra and she hugged her tightly. Leandra burrowed her face into Dinah’s hair and snuggled her close. “I still love you, Leandra, and you don’t have to say it. You’re proven it to me hundreds of times over.”
“I know,” Leandra said, rising from Dinah’s shoulder to look into her eyes. “And I won’t hurt you again. Even with the debt gone.”
A grunt from Tayten set them all on edge, and all eyes fell upon him. Madeline then noticed Natalie’s foot nuzzled deep into his side.
“Sorry,” Natalie said. “I wanted to get one in.”
“You scared me,” Dinah sighed in relief. “Maddie, I’ll stay here and keep watch. You should yell for the Arcana to come down and see the killers for themselves.”
“No,” Madeline said. “Natalie can have the honor. I’ve done enough today.”
“You’re sure?” Natalie asked.
“Go ahead,” Madeline said. “Leandra, you can wait here instead if you want. I think Dinah and I will go get some rest.”
“Sure,” she said. “Go ahead.”
Madeline and Dinah walked past Leandra as Natalie ran off to spread the news. Dinah held her stomach as she walked. “I’m so hungry, it’s ridiculous.”
“I have some eggs in my room,” Madeline said as they climbed a set of stairs. “Raw ones.”
“Mmm. Delicious.”
They climbed the steps in silence, until Madeline couldn’t hold it in anymore. “Dinah?” Madeline said quietly. “Are you okay?”
Dinah stopped walking and leaned up against the wall of the hallway. “It happened when we were six. It was a long time ago, and I’ve had plenty of time to get rid of the feeling. I don’t think about it much anymore.”
“Do you ever feel any different?”
“When Leandra gets sick, I feel distant sometimes, but otherwise I’m normal. As if nothing happened. I can still bleed and feel and get sick. It’s like nothing happened...except for the memories.”
“Why did you do that? Release your debt to her for...me?”
“She’s matured,” Dinah said. “I was thinking of releasing her anyways, but at least I could make a difference here. I’m scared to leave those brothers alive, but who knows, they may even become allies someday. Kieran’s not an enemy of yours anymore.”
“Unfortunately,” Madeline said, rolling her eyes. “I almost wish he was.”
“He will be soon enough,” Dinah said. “The third trial is coming. Leandra and Kieran will be coming for you.”
“I forgot about that,” Madeline said. “With Leandra being free of the debt...what does that mean? She can hurt people now?”
“If she chooses,” Dinah said. “But that’s up to her to decide. She’s not my slave...not anymore.”
“She won’t have to be as careful,” Madeline whispered to herself, cupping her chin. “That’s not good.”
“No,” Dinah laughed nervously. “Whatever she has planned for the third trial, it’s going to be memorable. We’ll prepare for it as much as possible, but you still have your date with Amias, remember?”
“Should I?” Madeline said. “With all that’s going on?”
“Take it from a dead girl. You never know when life is going to end. You might as well enjoy each day as it comes.”
Excited screams and shouting rang out below them, and a stampede of footsteps shook the stairs.
“Looks like the Arcana know,” Dinah said.
“Good,” Madeline said. “I don’t need the fame. Better to let them have it.”
“Maddie, you don’t feel any different about me, do you?”
“What?” Madeline laughed, giving her a hug. “You’re kidding, right?”
“I was just checking.”
“Listen, after what you know about me, I’m the last person to judge.”
“It’s different.”
“Not to me,” Madeline said. “No worries. We’re good.”
“Okay,” Dinah said. “...you said there were raw eggs?”
Madeline laughed, and they walked to her room, unaware of Kieran sitting on the steps right above them, listening intently to their conversation.
THE STUDENTS DISPERSED to their respective dorms as they emerged from the abyss. Their stay in the mysterious castle/hotel was over, and the Arcana talked excitedly about their increase in rank. Before Annalise even arrived to fetch them, the ranking system had been updated. Leandra found herself embracing the #1 slot with Natalie right behind her. Jedrek and Tayten took #3 and 4, and Madeline was in awe to look at the list in the foyer and see her name rise to #9. She should have been higher based on the victims of the brothers, but it appeared a few Arcana below her had done something to deserve the boost over her. Dinah was ecstatic to see that she had risen by over 100 ranks. Had the Ostara been watching their battle?
Annalise gave an announcement after they saw their new ranks, informing them that for their actions, Jedrek and Tayten would be imprisoned until after the Harvest. However, they would still be allowed to participate in the trials to vie for placement. If they killed or gravely wounded anyone else during the trials, then they would be banished from the castle, since it would constitute as their second offense.
Though they were still active in a sense, Madeline was satisfied with the decision...for now. At least the Ostara acknowledged (even if it was after the fact) that what they did was not okay. Annalise didn’t mention what would happen to them if they survived the trials, but Madeline would worry about that then. Justice was in small degree in the world of the Ostara, so to see any at all, would have to be regarded as a win.
She was also glad the rest of their stay at the hotel had been uneventful, though she still let Dinah create a spell circle in her room to prevent anyone from just walking in. Part of her wished she could have made the circles herself, but she knew she needed magic in her blood to activate them.
Surprisingly, no one attacked each other, and they were able to rest. She even felt a little bad for Jedrek and Tayten, as no one was willing to free them from the spell circles. The Arcana would periodically stroll down to the seventieth floor to look at them as if they were sculptures in a museum, and then they would laugh heartily as they walked away. The former #1 and 2 had lost a lot of respect.
Madeline yawned as she stretched out on her bed. She had gotten plenty of sleep at the hotel, but she still felt tired. Her mind was a buzz, thinking of all that she had learned.
What concerned her most was Leandra. Madeline had figured that she would be a rival of sorts, but not to this degree. Dinah’s story had made it painfully clear—Leandra was already on a level equal to the Ostara, and now there was nothing stopping her continual rise. It might be best to have a conversation with her and see where her head was at when it came to the future.
A suction sound snapped her up to a sitting position, and she was not surprised to see Annalise standing before her.
“Congratulations,” Annalise said, folding her hands in front of her. “You have done well.”
“Thank you,” Madeline said softly. “Did you...watch our battle?”
“No, but there was audio, and there was the battle site itself. It was easy to deduce what happened. However, since you let Natalie and Leandra take the credit publicly, they received the greater reward. We still reflected some of your actions in rank.”
“Thank you.”
“I want you to know...that a significant portion of the Ostara wanted to leave Jedrek and Tayten free, citing that it was foolish for you to leave them alive. You should have used a hex to destroy them afterwards instead of resorting to easily destroyed spell circles. A twitch of the leg, and Tayten could have smeared the blood and been free. If either one of them had urinated onto the blood, it would have ruined the circle and they would have been free to kill you. I was the one to fight for their imprisonment.”
Madeline took a chance. “Why didn’t my hexes work? It looked like Jedrek’s muscles were expanding.”
“He has the ability to sap the energy of others and add it to his own. It is a skill that—used properly—could theoretically take down anyone. Unfortunately, he can’t sap one’s strength very fast, and his anger gets in the way of thinking straight. He uses it as a steroid when he should focus it into a weapon.”
