The scorned, p.4
The Scorned, page 4
“Only a few,” Wren said.
I stuck my tongue out at him.
Childish? Definitely. Fucks to give when I was pouring sweat from every single pore on my body? Absolutely none.
The longer we climbed, the stronger the magickal riptide became. I couldn’t tell which was better at this point: almost freezing to death or almost burning alive.
“It’s not that bad,” Ali said, and I shot him a death glare. He feigned shock, his eyes widening as he clutched his chest. “You said you weren’t going to smite me!”
“Ali was born for the heat,” Meredith said, mirroring my glare. Her olive-toned skin was equally sweat-drenched.
“It was a drier heat. But yeah,” he said with a shrug. Just a flicker of sadness flitted across his features, but soon he was shaking his sweaty hair out and earning all of our curses and derision.
“And Skye has literal fire in his veins,” Meredith said after elbowing Ali.
“You feel it too, don’t you?” I asked Skye.
He nodded. “Sure do. It’s like a current of pure fire. Pure fight.”
“The wind here feels like the breath of the revolution,” Mer said, and we all grinned.
“And the water its soul,” Ali finished.
Susie Lynn and Becca were having none of our inspiring musings. Becca looked on the verge of tears in her hot pink activewear, while Susie Lynn looked like she was fighting a losing battle to show only a brave face through the pain.
Jesco was looking over at them too. “Remember those hours and hours of begging and pleading, girls?”
Glares were flying all around. I was sure Becca’s was more deadly than the rest of ours combined.
“I will never take a hot shower again. Only cold ones. Forever,” I said, and Daelon rumbled low to my ear before he planted a kiss on my temple. “Ew, Daelon. Sweat.”
He chuckled again.
“Listen to all these youngins complaining, Jesco. While their elders aren’t makin’ a peep,” Wren said.
“Oh, I’m listenin’,” Jesco replied. He made a sound like twangy mm-hmm from deep in his throat.
“Whatever,” Prairie said for all of us.
As the minutes and then hours dragged on, our predicament became increasingly less funny. About the time the altitude caused my ears to pop, I hurled the meanest of words through the ether at Cyrus. I prayed to every god and goddess he somehow heard them.
I might’ve been delirious from heat exhaustion, but I could’ve sworn I heard the faintest of laughter in response.
Then I heard a rising din of whispers, and I knew it was delirium. I glanced at Daelon, who was doing just as well as the rest of us despite the poison in his blood.
The terrain beneath our feet had completely transformed into barren, lifeless sediment rich with fiery hot magick. The peak was in sight, the rainbow-colored birds now circling above us in a frenzy. Another rumble sounded, and this time the ground shook underneath us.
We all stopped. Before us was a haze of smoke or mist, and our guiding birds flew and then disappeared right into it.
“Well, that’s not what you want to see when you’re near the top of a volcano,” Ali summarized.
I exchanged a look with Skye, and he nodded. The magick only pulled us forward. I looked back at the exhausted horde behind me and then back at the top of the volcano.
“Onward?” Ali asked, uncertainty raising his voice a pitch.
“Onward,” I said.
Chapter 4
Inside, the volcano churned molten lava. Steam rose from porous, dark cracks in the earth beneath our feet to form a cloud of haze around us. My clothes clung to my skin as sweat ran down my face, chest, and arms like a tropical waterfall. Around me, witches fanned themselves with their hands, and I worried we were all on the brink of collapsing.
There was magick in this pit of flames and scorn—magick that whispered prayers and screamed battle cries, magick so strong that all I could feel was an unshakeable pull, a promise of deliverance that was only felt, not seen.
My heart thumped in my chest, and I backed away from the edge and turned back to the crowd.
“You all aren’t going to like this,” I started, and everyone went quiet, hanging on my every word over the hissing and rumbling.
I swallowed. Hard. The blood rushed to my head, and I swayed slightly, afraid that the witch passing out was going to be me.
Daelon drew his brows together as he watched my face, futilely wiping at the beads of sweat along his forehead.
“But I think… no, I know that the portal…” I paused, swallowing again even though my throat was bone dry. “The portal is inside the volcano.”
Now even Jesco and Wren looked unsure, which did little to quell my own instinctive doubt and reason in the face of a wordless, magickal burst of intuition.
The rainbow-feathered birds had never returned from the cloud of mist. We were alone now. There were no more guides or signs.
Only a leap to make.
“Áine,” Daelon said, but when I looked at him, he was speechless. His mouth opened and closed once and then a second time, and then he looked at the rest of our friends for help.
“This is a little insane, even for you,” Ali said with a grimace, peering over the edge of the drop-off and then taking several steps backward with the shake of his head. “Yeah, nope, not going to happen.”
How could I convince them? Chosen One or not, I felt like a cult leader begging my family to drink a batch of poisoned Kool-Aid. Only worse.
Jumping into an active volcano was way worse.
I unclenched my fists, and I stepped into the side of my magick that was old and wise, the part that felt like it belonged to me and me alone. It was what I channeled when I drew down the light of the moon and convinced Ruth I was blessed by Selene, or when I delivered wisdom to those who needed it from a voice higher than my own.
I looked out at the crowd, and from the look on Daelon’s face I knew I was back to embodying a fire goddess.
“When I died and went to the Akashic records, I didn’t know if I was going to survive my own death. My spiritual teacher, Amos, told me, it will be like jumping into an invisible river, and you must let it carry you away.” Wren smiled and nodded, and I continued. “He told me to have faith. My patron deity, Hecate, told me to have faith too. My mothers told me from the very beginning that there was a path I could not see, leading us all through the shadows and into the light of freedom. So when I saw my opportunity to die, I took it. Even before I knew how resurrection would be possible, I believed it was. That it had to be.”
Daelon’s eyes filled with panic, pleading with me. I looked away, back at the rest of the Icierans.
Fiery orange and red light burned through me like I was a conduit or a candle wick or Hecate’s torch. My heart slowed, and a calm washed over me like a gently lapping wave of clear, tropical water.
“This feels exactly like that,” I said. “I believe when I jump, witches will be there to catch me. Because like my mother Celeste whispered to me while I was in the womb, the way witches love knows no differences, boundaries, or distance. We can love people we have never met and will never meet. And that is what we are fighting for. It’s the love that birthed me and the love that fuels this revolution. It is because of this love that I know our leap is to safety.”
I took a step backward, edging toward the cliff.
Daelon narrowed his eyes. Don’t you fucking dare.
He looked like he was seconds away from grabbing me, so I stared straight at the crowd, willing Daelon to remember who I was and what I was capable of. Even my friends looked like they were wrestling between the urge to tackle me to the ground and the pull to believe my every word and take the plunge with me.
“For only the faithful may enter the land of the Aurora Aurea,” I finished as my radiance cast us all in a summery glow.
Waves roared in my ears, and the spark of an eternal flame crackled and raged.
I turned, closed the distance, and jumped.
Before I crossed the threshold, the pit was full of molten lava. Just after the leap, it was nothing but serene, deep blue water, utterly still until I plunged into its depths. It was velvety and cool, catching me with a soft impact.
I stayed under for a moment as my heart steadied, taking my sweet time to break the surface.
A devastatingly handsome and very nude man sat at the edge of the vast, circular pool, leaning against a smooth rock wall. Sunlight illuminated the piercing chestnut of his eyes, and his deep brown skin glistened with droplets of water. His wiry black hair was short, as was his facial hair, each meticulously manicured. He looked like some kind of water god, as if a trident belonged in his palm.
Cyrus.
He lazily stretched his arms behind his head from his seat on an underwater shelf. “Took you long enough.”
Why in everlasting fuck did I just see a vision of you jumping into a volcano? Lucius bellowed, breaking through my mental barriers like a sharpened blade. His wrath was almost enough to raise the hairs on the back of my neck, but the sharp taste of fear, panic, and confusion lessened its power.
These feelings still didn’t feel like they belonged to the Shadow King. I refused to believe them.
Why you still question the authenticity of my care for you, I cannot fathom. How many times do I have to prove that I do not want to see you in harm’s way? I only want you here, safe with me, where you belong.
I started the fight to shut him out, refusing to give Lucius the satisfaction of a single word from me while Daelon fought off his accursed poison.
Stop jumping into fiery pits. No heretic power play is worth such a risk, he said, just before I slammed the door closed.
“You alright?” Cyrus asked, watching me intently.
“You mean after a hundred-foot plunge into what appeared to be a fiery demise after nearly burning to crisp on that scenic volcano hike?”
Cyrus laughed, the sound rolling through him like an easy summer breeze. It matched his aura, and the aura of his coven I could feel enmeshed in the land, perfectly.
I peered all around us. Palm trees and ferns outlined the pool, as did ladders carved of black stone. I could see buildings looming in the background, beyond the brush, and if I concentrated hard enough, I could hear movement and voices, too.
“We aren’t inside a volcano anymore,” I said.
Cyrus looked up at the cloudless blue sky. “Excellent observation skills.”
I glared at him, but no sooner than I had started to swim toward him did another body plunge into the pool.
Daelon shot up from the water. When he arose, his anger was enough to raise the hairs on my neck.
He said nothing—just stared at me. Cyrus let out a low whistle, watching us with a smirk.
“I wanted to jump with you,” I rushed out. “But I knew you wouldn’t be able to let me go. It goes against your very nature, no matter how much faith you have in me.”
The vein in Daelon’s forehead continued to pulse and throb.
“And I also knew that no one in this realm or all the rest could stop you from jumping right in after me.”
“Sorry to interrupt,” Cyrus said, and Daelon didn’t even glance his way. His eyes were trained on me. “But weren’t you one of that bastard’s guards?”
I opened my mouth to defend Daelon, but Cyrus cut me off.
“Looks like we aren’t the only ones who planted an inside man,” Cyrus said with a conspiratorial grin.
Daelon finally looked his way, curiosity getting the better of him. “In the castle? Who?”
“That’s a secret of the highest clearance. Only three people in this coven know who it is, and I am, unfortunately, not one of them.”
Daelon’s anger broke, and we both swam to the outskirts to join Cyrus. I didn’t have to worry about the coven fitting inside this massive pool.
When we reached shallow water, Daelon pulled me into his chest. His body trembled, and my heart panged. I peered over his shoulder at the sound of more splashing.
Mer, Ali, Skye, and Prairie had all jumped together. Susie Lynn, Becca, Wren, and Jesco were just behind them. Bodies continued to manifest, everyone clearing to the edges as they laughed or cried and thanked Selene.
Daelon pulled me close to him as we sat with Cyrus and welcomed our friends to the other side. “I have never been so angry at you and so in love with you at the same time,” he whispered in my ear.
“I don’t care that you were right,” Ali said, his voice still shaky with adrenaline. “You are one certifiably crazy, cosmically insane, utterly unhinged witch.”
“Emerson was like that too,” Prairie said softly. “You two would’ve loved each other.”
Mer gave her shoulder a squeeze as she nodded in agreement.
“Badass,” Skye laughed. “That’s all I have to say.”
As the coven continued to move through the portal, Aurora Aurea witches began to step out from behind the palms and ferns on dry land. Some smiled, some watched with curiosity or calculation, and others were quick to find me and stare.
“Why you all ever doubted me I will never understand,” Cyrus said loudly, and a woman behind him snorted.
Her jet black hair was in a tight French braid, and she was dressed in pale brown shorts and a cropped black tank top. She’d accented her hooded, near-black eyes with a thick, dramatic cat-eye drawn with shimmering navy eyeliner. Her skin was light brown with golden undertones, adorned with a geometric sleeve of tattoos on her right arm. She wore gladiator sandals that came to her upper calf, and I could only describe her aura as that of a perfectly controlled, deathly precise, ruthless warrior.
Even without my gift, Daelon could sense her nature, instantly stiffening as she watched me with a heavy gaze.
“This is Athena,” Cyrus said. “I would say she’s not as scary as she looks, but I try my best to keep pointless lying to a minimum.”
Her smile was nothing but eerie, still unable to peel her eyes from me.
I stared right back. “Pleasure to meet you.” I glanced from her to Cyrus. “Thank you for welcoming the people of Iciera.”
“Thank you for finally joining the fight,” Cyrus said. He drew out the word finally for emphasis, and Athena crossed her arms.
“We had shit to do,” I said, and he leaned his head back in laughter.
Ali looked between Cyrus and me curiously, and Daelon still hadn’t stopped his commander-like threat assessment of Athena, who was eyeing him right back.
“I can already tell we are all going to have so much fun together,” Ali said.
More and more witches appeared at the edges of the pool, looking out at us. The two oldest witches I’d ever seen appeared next to Athena, both with dark skin tones like Cyrus’s. Their wrinkles dug deep. The woman wore an amulet with a large red stone and a maxi dress with thick straps the color of the ferns behind her. The man was in a paler green tunic and loose pants, the same color as each of their grounded, wise, and healing auras.
“This is Shaman Kendari and Shaman Allamanda,” Cyrus said, bowing his head slightly in greeting.
They each returned the gesture.
“High Priest of Iciera, Jesco,” Jesco said, joining us with Wren at his side. “And this is our eldest healer, Wren.”
I got the feeling that shamans were the equivalent of High Priests and Priestesses here, but I figured it wasn’t the best time to ask.
The shamans smiled and nodded, and I realized they weren’t partners in the same way as Jesco and Ruth. Their powerful auras blended in places, but not in the manner I was used to seeing in soulmates. It was more like a deep friendship.
“Welcome to our land, and welcome to our coven. We are the Aurora Aurea, the Golden Dawn, and we have dwelled on this island since witches first inhabited Aradia. We worship the Fire God and the Great Goddess, and we have awaited your arrival, Áine, Bringer of Hope, for hundreds of years,” the man, Kendari said.
“Hundreds of years?” I echoed.
They just smiled. “We have more than enough room for anyone who survives their trial by fire,” Allamanda said. Her voice was strong and kind, exuding such grandmotherly energy that it warmed me from the inside. “For all of Iciera and for whoever arrives next.”
Cyrus winked at me. “Like I said. The more the merrier.”
“I have so many questions,” I said, and the Icierans around me nodded in agreement.
Allamanda clutched her amulet and breathed in deeply. She lowered her voice. “We can lend our best healers and see what we can do for him,” she said, nodding at Daelon.
My face fell, and Daelon squirmed under this kind of attention.
“Thank you,” I said softly, though I was sure they knew as well as I did that no mere healer could expel Lucius’s poison.
Birds with rainbow-colored feathers circled overhead, and I wondered if they were the same ones who led us here.
Cyrus pointed up at them. “Rex and Tina, the little troublemakers.”
Something about the absurdity of those names made me laugh, and Daelon leaned in closer to me.
“We have everything you need in the dwellings. Water, food, clothing. Come with us,” Kendari said with a toothy grin.
The voices of each coven melded in a frenzy of excitement and curiosity as the warm breeze of the tropics lazily rolled through.
Just like Jesco and Wren had said, here was an entire island of people who’d been playing their own part in the revolution without my knowledge.
It was never all up to me.
The light in my heart expanded, finding itself in each witch I saw in a flash of brilliance—a nod from the Goddess that each of us were destined for this exact moment.
Chapter 5
Aurora Aurea was more architecturally gorgeous than any island resort back on earth. Just like Iciera, everything witch-made blended and harmonized with the natural environment. String lights and magickal torches lined the cobblestone streets, casting a warm glow of light after the sun had descended.
