“What does he mean it’s never been done before?” I turned on the rescued team and Lilly crossing my arms again and stamping my foot frustrated.
“It’s been done before, Eden.” Lilly tried to reassure me. “Not four Immortals at once, but the Titans used to take people’s magic all of the time, back when the Monarchy first began. But then usually those people, just.... died. I think the whole issue is actually returning the magic and, of course, making sure you give the right person the right magic,” she smiled again with confidence, but a ball dropped in my stomach and I realized for the first time what was at risk.
“Ok….” I cleared my throat with instinctive nervousness. “So how do you guys suggest I go about this?” I looked pleadingly at the rescued team, open to any and all suggestions.
“We could try one at a time….” Jett Fisher suggested, while subtly nudging Ebanks in the back with his elbow.
“Be my guest,” Ebanks responded with his low, melancholy voice.
“I thought you guys wanted your magic back,” I was confused. I thought the rescued team would want nothing more than to have their magic restored, but now that the opportunity was in front of them, it would appear none of them was willing to try. Or maybe none of them was willing to try with me. I couldn't really blame them for not trusting me. After all, I was the one who got them in this mess to begin with.
“Well, it’s just that,” Ronan Hannigan began with a shaky Irish accent, “it’s just that, when you took our magic we assumed you were going to kill us, or at least knew how to give it back.” He finished his sentence by hanging his head and I watched as my inexperience and lack of knowledge only discouraged them more.
“I wish that were true,” I replied, just as distraught as them. “But the truth is, I didn’t know what I was doing then and it would appear that I still have no idea what I’m doing now.” Once again the four hurting boys could not look me in the eye and I was struck with an overwhelming sense of guilt. “We could always try though, couldn’t we?” I fought for optimism, hoping it would spread.
“What if you give us the wrong magic?” Ebanks questioned.
“Yeah, or what if you can’t give the magic back at all?” Ronan’s fiery Irish accent was less than enthusiastic.
"Or what if you finish the job?" Jett mumbled underneath his breath.
“Ok, I get that we are all scared here. I’m scared of those very same things. Or, um, some of them anyway.” Especially now, since I didn’t know those were real possibilities, but I didn’t say that to the team. “But are you happy with the way things are now?” I looked at the four seemingly strong Immortals, with their heads hung low and their shoulders slumped. They shook their heads wearily. “Then I say we try this, if it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work, but I can’t imagine that you would want to stay the way you are for the rest of eternity. And for God’s sakes Jett, I'm not going to kill anybody!” I ended my lecture with a flare of the dramatic. My speech had the desired effect and all four boys struggled to sit up a little straighter.
“Ok, I’ll try,” Oscar, who was silent through most of the debate, stood up confidently.
Oscar walked out of the tight circle the rescued team had been sitting in and faced me. He stared at me for a few seconds as if trying to read something on my face. Suddenly he held out his hands as if I should take them. Apparently he trusted me. It was time I trusted myself.
I reached out and clenched his hands in mine. I barely felt a magical pulse underneath his sweaty palms and I could only imagine the exhaustion he must have been feeling. Oscar closed his eyes tightly as if afraid of what would come next. I followed suit, but only to achieve better concentration.
Or so I told myself.
The longer I held Oscar’s hands, the more my magic surprisingly began to stir. Something deep inside of me, almost as if there was magic in the most secret part of my soul, began to move. The hidden magic as it were, did its best to surface, while my body fought to keep the magic locked away. Unwillingly, my magic struggled to suppress Oscar’s and locked it deep inside again. I inhaled sharply, feeling the struggle in every fiber of my being. I pushed the magic with my mind toward the surface of my body and into the palms of my hands. Oscar’s magic felt freedom and soared with him so close. My magic continued to bury the stolen energy back into the recesses of my soul. Although I fought with my mind, the magic that filled my blood was too strong and I was unable to release to Oscar what I had stolen from him.
In one last effort to force Oscar’s magic out of my skin I thrust my magic and everything I had into my palms. Suddenly we were flying through the air. Our bodies flung forcefully like rag dolls to opposite sides of the barn. We landed in painful clumps on the concrete floor.
I heard Oscar groan and I jumped to my feet in an effort to see if he was all right. My magic had already finished healing my own body, but I could tell from where I stood, just inside the open double doors, that what was left of Oscar’s magic had not been able to revive him. The rest of his team and Lilly had flocked to his side and were helping him sit up. He held his head and when he brought his hand away I saw that it was covered in dark, crimson blood.
I turned around, frustrated and unable to look at him. I felt helpless and responsible. Any other Immortal would know what to do; any other Immortal would have had the training necessary to be able to return the magic that didn’t belong to them.
I walked out of the barn into the cold night air. A thousand stars shone down on me, stretching on eternally through the wide Nebraska sky. I wrapped my arms around my body, holding in the warmth, refusing to use the magic that had me so frustrated at the moment.
“You’ll figure out how to give it back, these things take time,” Jericho was suddenly at my side. I turned to stare at him, surprised by his comforting words, but he was looking at the ground, his baseball cap pulled low on his brow.
“I hope you’re right,” I winced. I couldn’t bear to send another one of that poor team flying. “What does it feel like?” he finally glanced at me from underneath his hat.
“Trying to give the magic back?” I asked, unsure if I wanted to share the feeling. Jericho nodded an affirmative. “It feels like I don’t want to give it back. I didn’t even know I had been holding on to their magic, but now that I’ve found it, it’s like my body will do anything to keep it.”
“Will you keep it?” Jericho asked tentatively. He was the third person to ask me this question. What kind of person did these people think I was?
“Of course not,” I spat, and then regretted my tone immediately. “I mean, of course I want to give it back to them. It’s not mine; I should never have taken it in the first place. I just didn't know what I was doing then. I still don't.... I will find a way though. I will give them back their magic,” I said determined, and at that moment I realized just how determined I was.
“Others would not give it back. In fact, if you are successful, you would make history by returning their magic,” he smiled softly at me and I noticed the hardness in his eyes slowly dissipating.
“What do you mean?” I asked, impressed by the prospect of making history, but a little more daunted by the task at hand.
“Other Immortals have drained magic before, but usually they do it on purpose,” he smirked at me, enjoying his sarcasm. “However, since they accomplish the task on purpose, that has tended to mean they refuse to give it up. I have just always thought they were greedy and power-hungry, but maybe they couldn’t have given up the magic if they wanted,” he looked back down at the ground and kicked a rock, making it skip along the gravel drive.
“Who?” I asked, but believed I already knew the answer.
“The Monarchy, of course, and their Titan Guard,” he smiled sadly at me and I was struck by the perfection of his lips.
“Oh. I can see that though. I mean just now, when I was trying to give Oscar back his magic there was such a hunger inside of me to keep it, I was scared. I don’t want their magic; I only want to give it back to them. But I was overcome by this, this overwhelming greed. I know more than ever it does not belong inside of me. I will do whatever it takes to give it back to them,” I folded my arms defiantly, as if inwardly challenging myself to finish the task.
“You do deserve to be Queen,” Jericho whispered and I was surprised by his words, I turned to say something to him, but could not think of anything appropriate. So instead of speaking I simply stared into his eyes, searching for the reason behind his statement.
“Eden, Angelica says the magic is ready. Will you still come with me?” Lilly’s soft voice called to me from the barn doors and I turned without saying anything more to Jericho. I walked to Lilly’s side and joined her for the biggest moment of her life thus far.
Chapter Three
I followed Lilly through the other side of the barn and around the large white farmhouse. A small group of other Immortals walked silently with us. All of them were the older generation except Avalon, whom I noticed was allowed more of a leadership role than anyone else our age, including me.
Angelica led our small group behind the farmhouse and down into a storm cellar. Lilly and I followed Conrad, Terrance, Amory and Avalon down a set of worn stone steps. The men all carried fiery torches and as we walked through a surprisingly long tunnel, they stopped and lit suspended torches along the wall.
What I expected to be a typical Nebraska tornado shelter, meant to protect from seasonal storms, had turned into a long, but wide tunnel, leading further and further into the earth. The already cold November night continued to stiffen the frigid air the farther into the passageway we walked.
Lilly’s hand in mine, I could feel her tremble with anxiety. The look on her face was sheer determination, etched with near panicked hysteria. Her already pale skin had turned translucent by fear and her vibrant red curls framed her face in a haze of frizz. I squeezed her hand, hoping to comfort, except I couldn’t help but empathize her same fears.
Eventually we came to a thick stone door. The small group ahead of us mounted their torches into frames already nailed to the walls. Through the dim firelight I could see small markings bordering the outline of the door and then another large symbol set exactly in the middle at eye level: a snake, wrapped in a circle, swallowing its own tail.
Angelica was the first one through the door. She put her finger, just below her ear, where her jawbone met her neck, and I watched the faint flare of light. I realized she was illuminating the same symbol of the snake eating its own tail, the same symbol Lilly was on her way to receive. Angelica carried the magic in her finger, from her neck to the symbol on the door. She placed her index finger ever so softly on the serpent and I watched with quiet awe as the door glowed in the same color as Angelica’s magic before opening into a circular room.
The door closed behind Angelica. Conrad was next in line. He repeated the same procedure as Angelica, only this time the door illuminated in army green, to resemble the type of magic he carried. I realized at that moment that I may not be able to keep my promise to Lilly and stay with her through the whole process, since it seemed to enter the secret room of the Resistance one must already be a member or on their way to become one.