Foresight Page 8

  The sanctuary is a warren of corridors and linked passages. As a child I spent endless hours wandering them, a practice mostly halted when Liander appeared and moved in full time, and my duties as an Oracle became paramount. While it’s true these tunnels and passages were my old haunts, it’s been years since I truly explored them, despite what I’ve led Sibyl to believe. I struggle to remember the way, though the girl I was has no trouble when I finally relax and let her lead. Within a few minutes, I’m easing open a small wooden door behind a heavy tapestry and peeking into the main chapel.

  The altar is silent and dark, the stone cover over Gaia’s resting place closed. I leave the door ajar and sneak in anyway, flip flops making soft sounds as I pad my way to the altar. I stand over the place where Gaia rests and look down at it, feeling for her. There are protections over the casing, thick and black, tied to sorcery. I feel my grandmother’s power in them, but even more so, I feel Liander’s. And his isn’t autonomous. How odd. Sibyl’s magic is separate, encapsulated. But a thread ties Liander to the shields and I feel a pulse of power as I start to pull away.

  He’s feeding the shielding still? Is that what’s weakening him? A moment of guilt I’ve somehow misunderstood and misjudged him tweaks my conscience. Could it be he’s been protecting her with his sorcery all along, and it’s been draining him?

  But no, I see my error almost immediately as another small pulse of magic exits the shields and runs down the thread. Away from Gaia. And my hands clench at my sides, my jaw aching as my teeth grind together and flames flare in my heart.

  He’s feeding off her.

  I sink to my knees, hands falling to the surface of the stone. How did I miss this? I am an Oracle, a foreseer, supposedly the most powerful in many generations. His deception should have appeared to me. Shouldn’t it? If not, what is the point of seeing the future if I can’t protect the Goddess who grants me my power?

  I should sever the connection. It’s my first impulse. Tears splash from my eyes to the granite, shimmering a moment before the rock absorbs them. Does my grandmother know?

  Dear Gaia. She must know.

  I gasp for breath, rocking back on my heels, fear holding me back. If I sever the connection, if I even attempt it, Liander will know. I have to tell the others, show them first, make them pay attention. Even if that means turning the family against my grandmother.

  Aunt Ash. Her face flashes in my mind as I paw the tears from my face. I have to find her. She’ll stand with me, I know it.

  Just as I rise to run off, heart pounding, chest aching, I feel something stir under the stone. The touch freezes me in place. It’s there, under the oozing black of Liander, under the rainbow shielding. I let my flames slip beneath.

  And touch her as she sighs. She grips my magic with hers. Massive, ancient, and yet reduced to a breath of power, a faint echo of what once was. She holds me only for an instant, but long enough to prove my vision right.

  She’s waking. I have no time to lose.

  I almost forget to return the way I came. I’m shaking and I’m certain white-faced, a state that would rouse suspicion and questions should I encounter any of my fellow Oracles in the main corridor. I have enough time to catch my breath and rub circulation back into my cheeks as I retreat, though my heart is broken at my revelations. Liander, devouring our Goddess. Once powerful, now reduced. By his feeding? But no, it would take far more than the thin bit of magic he’s stealing from her to bring her so low.

  I stagger past the edge of the tapestry and head for the kitchen, my power reaching out for Ash even as I jog as best I can in flip flops. I can’t feel my aunt anywhere in the sanctuary and curse softly as I stumble over the lintel and into the kitchen. This time I don’t bother with subterfuge, ignoring the worried looks from the girls still making bread like the world I’ve known my whole life isn’t shattering around me.

  My feet skid as I turn out into the dining hall, brushing noisily past a few chairs before catching my balance, mind still desperately hunting my rebellious aunt. By the time I slide to a halt in the main corridor, I know she’s not here and I’m on my own.

  I make it five steps, heading for my grandmother’s room, confrontation on my mind, when a hand reaches out of the dark and jerks me though a partially open door. I meep a cry of surprise before a second hand clamps over my mouth and pulls me backward. I hear footsteps now, many of them, and low voices talking. The stench hovering around me triggers a memory response just as Rupe turns me around and stuffs me into a closet, slipping silently in behind me. He pulls the door closed almost completely, peeking out through the slit, the tiny shaft of vertical light casting a weird glow on his grinning face, making his eye look transparent.

  “Shhh,” he hisses, before smothering a giggle behind his hands as his sorcery envelops me in a smothering blanket. My flames whisper to a hush, though images become sharp edged and the barest sounds are amplified. Whatever Rupe has done, he means to hide us while giving us the opportunity to see and hear everything.

  I almost balk at being controlled this way. But the sound of the door at the other end of the room opening, and the crisp, angry tone of Liander’s voice, tells me I need to stay where I am.

  “…certain, master?” That sounds like Kayden.

  “Silence, you young fool.” Liander is furious, it vibrates in his words, though he keeps his voice down. “I know what I felt.” I lean around Rupe, ducking under him to peek out myself. We’re in the main study, I realize, the walls lined with the recorded foresights of my people. How ironic. “Go to the altar and make sure she’s still contained.”

  I catch a sliver of a glimpse of Kayden saluting, a pair of young sorcerers leaving my view, clearly following orders. Another of his men joins him as Liander glares at the floor.

  “Tell me what you need, my master.” Liander’s second in command, Paster, can’t be more than twenty-five and carries the weight of his duties like a much older man. He even has early gray at the temples of his dark hair, a bald patch growing at the crown, visible when he bows his head.

  Liander waves him off, brows drawn together, teeth nibbling at the edge of his mustache. “I’m done waiting for the perfect opportunity.” His gloves slap against his leg, velvet robe swinging around his shoulders as he turns to face Paster. “It’s time to move on her, to take full control.”

  Paster visibly swallows. “You’ve done wonders convincing her,” he says, stuttering over his words. “But, considering what we’re trying to accomplish, I fear we’ll lose her if we push too hard.”

  “I couldn’t care less for the state of her mind or her conscience.” Liander’s anger burns with its own kind of fire. “I’ve put too much faith in Sibyl and her damned Oracles, only to fail time and again.” It has to be painful for him to admit. “And now the old woman is losing control, we’re out of time.” Again he slaps his gloves against his leg, this time pacing out of my view. I keep my eyes locked on Paster while my ears follow the tread of Liander’s feet over the stone floor. “I need the power the witch controls to regain ground. And this is the only way to do it.”

  Paster nods quickly, bows. “Of course, master,” he says. “We’ll tighten the knot at once.”

  Liander reappears in my view, snarling. “Even with the benefit of foresight,” his words rumble from him with a harsh edge like the cut of a knife, “knowing exactly what was coming, that Hayle bitch still manages to find a way around fate.” Black ropes coil up from the floor to caress his legs and I flinch knowing some of the power soothing him comes from Gaia. “How does she do it?”

  Paster doesn’t answer, though my mind burns with fury. This is the final proof I need. He has been manipulating us, using us against Syd and her friends. Against Piers. I hug myself as I watch, though my eyes narrow at the thought of finding a way to defeat Liander and rescue my family from him.

  Liander spins in a circle, glaring at the wall not far from where I watch, Rupe hovering over me. “A lot of good owning the Oracles did me.�
�� I almost smile at his bitterness, wishing he could see my contempt. Should I burst out, confront him here and now? No, I need the power of my sisters behind me.

  He’ll pay soon enough for trying to control the future.

  “Your success is inevitable, master,” Paster says, voice vibrating with belief.

  Liander shrugs his shoulders, as though to settle his cloak about him more closely, face composed. “No matter the fools I’ve had to deal with,” he says, “the simple minds of women I’ve had to endure, the touch of their leader I’ve borne despite my disgust.” If only Sibyl could hear him now. “They still don’t understand the true power they possess.” He sighs, gusty and frustrated. “No matter. Their magic has served to bolster mine, and I will seize the last of it when the time comes.” He gestures to Paster who nods with eagerness while my heart constricts. “Are our people in position?”

  Paster’s grin is cruel and eager. “The Steam Union will answer your call when you’re ready to make your move.”

  Steam Union. I’ve heard that term before. Didn’t Piers ask me if I was Steam Union once? But who are they?

  “Tomorrow night.” Liander strides past Paster toward the door, leaving my view again. “Don’t fail me.”

  The door closes, Paster’s anxiety showing on his face before he turns and straightens his shoulders. “You heard our master,” he says to sorcerers I can’t see. “The three of you go to Harvard and lean on her as hard as you dare. But make sure she’s ours before dawn.”

  And then they are all moving, black robes sliding past the crack I see through and gone again, out the door.

  I squeak a soft protest as Rupe casually pushes open the closet and steps out into the now empty room. My knees ache from crouching, and I take a moment to stretch them out while my mind whirls. I almost feel burned out, as though I’ve encountered too much, learned more than my poor brain can handle in a very short time.

  When I look up, I find Rupe grinning at me, one side of his face morphing from deformed wolf muzzle and back again, his half-bald pointed ear the last thing to retreat.

  “Almost time now,” he sing-songs the words, dancing in a circle. “Syd’s going to get what’s coming to her.”

  Before I can stop him, ask him questions I’m sure he won’t answer, Rupe dashes from the room and disappears, leaving me there to shake and wonder.

  ***

  Chapter Fourteen

  My room embraces me like an old, familiar friend, though I don’t plan to stay here long. I have no idea who Liander is trying to harm or control, though if she’s at Harvard, it can’t be one of my people. Whoever it is, I have a feeling Piers needs to know. I could wait, try to have a vision, but the world outside the sanctuary is a mystery to me in many ways. If I can tell Piers what I know, maybe he can help me figure out what Liander is really up to.

  That Hayle bitch. At least I know who she is. And that she’s a friend of Piers and Charlotte. And though I owe her no allegiance, I now understand she’s not the evil Dark One I’ve always thought. In fact, if she’s Liander’s enemy, I’ll gladly call her friend. If I can give her a fighting chance, I’ll do it.

  The flames hug me close, but don’t hamper my journey, leaving me alone on the beach. Is it my imagination or do they feel sad, as worried as I am? Surely not. The fire is elemental, pure and untouched by emotion outside the capricious feelings of pure energy. And yet, I’m certain they whisper their fears to me as the flames release me.

  I call for Piers, not caring who hears me, standing there in the late evening, waiting for an answer that never comes. Something huge looms, perhaps is already begun. It’s possible he’s wrapped up in it. This Steam Union he mentioned, that he asked me about. Are they friends or foes? From the sounds of things, they are the enemy, though when Piers first asked me if I was one of them, there was hope in his voice.

  I’m so confused, things are moving too quickly for me to process and I have so few answers to a million questions about a magical world I know nothing about. The visions I’ve trusted my entire life have been corrupted by my grandmother, by the beliefs of Liander Belaisle. If I’m to truly understand, I must examine them with this new, open honesty in my heart, my doubt now certainty something is terribly wrong.

  My attempts to reach the fire, to see the truth, amount to nothing. No visions come to me, no fresh awakenings and awarenesses. It’s possible either the control Liander has over Gaia is keeping her from showing me anything new, or there is simply nothing new to see.

  I refuse to consider the third option. That I can no longer call up the future thanks to my actions. I know better. Gaia would not abandon me now.

  Time passes slowly, though I wait only another ten minutes or so, calling out at intervals. No reply. I can’t wait here forever. Instead, I embed fire into a stone and leave it where Piers will see and feel it, the glow of the rock softened by a hint of my sorcery. He’ll know I was here, at least, looking for him. For now, I have another job to do.

  I step out of the fire into the portal room, surprised not to find myself in my quarters. When I raise my eyes and meet Kayden’s eyes, I stare in shock as he approaches.

  “You’ve been traveling outside the protections.” He doesn’t even try to hide the pleasure he takes in catching me. “You’re lucky I felt you coming and diverted you to safety.”

  The bastard. I want to lash out and claw him, pound him with flames and darkness, but he’s faster. He pins me with his arms, backing me into the wall, his sorcery smothering me before I can push him back. My fire fights valiantly against him, but he’s already surrounded me and every attack I try is absorbed, making him stronger and draining me.

  “Let me go.” I pant against his chest, keeping my head down. A tendril of black tucks under my chin and forced my face upward. His lips hover over mine, a sheen of sweat on his skin, cheeks red, eyes blazing with the need to hurt.

  “You were promised to me.” He kisses me roughly, fighting to hold me in place while I thrash in his arms, a tang of blood against my teeth as he cuts me with the pressure of his mouth. He pulls back, licking at his lips, grinning at my distress. “And I’ll have you. With or without your consent.” He chuckles, deep and angry. “Don’t worry. You’ll learn to like it if I have to beat it into you.”

  His lips descend again. I can’t let him touch me, not like this, not ever. A massive eruption cracks at the base of my power and fire and fury rush out and upward. The fire bursts free in a raging ball of flame. He staggers back with a cry, batting at the smoldering blaze licking up his cloak, sorcery slamming against me. But the fire in me won’t be denied. I feel it swell to fill me, spilling outside me, flooding the room, devouring everything. This is the power I feared, the fire I saw in my vision with Gaia. But it’s mine to control and it will not be stopped until it has what it’s come for.

  The whole world swirls in oranges and reds and sparks of blue, my breath smoke and flame, my hands red-hot. Kayden scrambles away, eyes huge and afraid, but I don’t care. Compassion is nothing in the face of my heated rage.

  Something hits me hard, and I turn with cold fury to see Aunt Ash, a curtain rod in her hand, the tapestry at the back of the room on the floor, smoking. She stares at me with real fear, but her hands are steady on the rod she’s struck me with.

  There is no pain. I barely felt the attack. But the distraction is enough to cool the fire, to force its retreat, until my vision clears and I wobble with the release.

  Kayden runs away before I can say anything or stop him from leaving, though I’m happy he’s gone. Ash swears, the sound of metal hitting stone echoing in the room as she runs for me, the rod dropped and forgotten. She catches me the moment before I keel over, keeping me upright and moving me forward when I’m sure my feet won’t move.

  “You stupid girl,” she hisses at me. “What have you done?”

  I’m almost myself again by the time Ash unseals the locks on my door and pushes me inside. I want to ask her how she managed to get past my person
al protections when she slams the door and spins on me, temper making her whole body shake.

  “What were you thinking?” She runs both hands through her blonde hair, stomping two steps forward in her heavy black boots before grasping my arms and shaking me.

  My teeth rattle together before I can pull away. “He attacked me.”

  She shakes her head, hair a lion’s tawny mane, almost on fire itself as it flows around her like a living thing. “Zoe.” Her voice cracks as she pulls herself together, hands fisted at her sides, feet braced wide apart as she breathes deeply and stares at me.

  “Something is happening.” I sink to the arm of the sofa, hugging myself. “Liander and his people are planning…”

  “What?” She waits for my answer with clear impatience.

  “I don’t know!” I toss my hands in the air, stand and turn toward the fireplace. “But I do know he’s been using us, Ash. All of us.” I spin back to her. “Taking our power. Manipulating our visions. And stealing magic from Gaia.” My throat tightens as I speak that truth out loud. “He’s been draining our Goddess.”

  Ash doesn’t react the way I expect. She grows calmer with each word I speak and I wonder whose side she’s really on. “Listen to me.” She exhales heavily before fixing me with her blue eyes. “I told you to keep your mouth shut. Have you?”

  I nod. “I don’t know who to trust.” I jut my chin at her, so she knows she’s included on that list.

  Ash snorts a laugh, relaxes slightly. “Don’t be a jerk,” she says. And shudders, like an anxious dog shedding water. “Stay here.” She reaches into her pocket, retrieves her lighter. “Kayden’s little temper tantrum shouldn’t cause you trouble. He knows if he says anything, he’ll have to admit he attacked you.”

  I doubt that would stop him. “Where are you going?”

  Her gaze flattens, tells me nothing. “Just stay,” she barks. “And for Gaia’s sake, don’t do anything stupid. I’ll be right back.”