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PHEONIX
10 Years Ago
Layden, Sabra, and I stand at the center of another circle, trying for the I-don’t-know-how-many time to make something happen.
We’ve been trying once every other day or so, always with the same outcome. Vibrations occur as the concentric circles begin to spin in opposite directions, light beams up from Layden’s runes, and occasionally, an earthquake shakes underfoot.
Vlad banished us to a field far beyond the compound after our fifth try put a crack in the center stone of the courtyard.
So today, Sabra’s chalked a circle in the middle of an old asphalt road between fallow fields. It’s a street that leads to nowhere because Vlad bought out the contractor before he could start to build a planned neighborhood there.
“I think I really got it this time,” Sabra says excitedly as the circles start to spin.
“You said that last time.” I roll my eyes.
“I mean it. I found something in Mom’s old notes. She was only using the barest of circle magic once when she made contact with the other side using a rare arcane equation. She’d scratched it out in the grimoire, but I finally figured it out.”
I turn to look at Sabra, which is difficult considering the tiny circle the three of us are standing in. “If she scratched it out, maybe that was because she thought it was dangerous.”
Layden’s eyes ping back and forth between the two of us as Sabra faces off with me.
“Or really powerful,” Sabra says, eyes shining with reflected light as the runes Layden laid on top of Sabra’s work begin to leap and arc all around us.
“Shit,” I say, glancing at Layden. Maybe if we call this off now, we can stop anything bad from happening.
But right then, a white mist suddenly gathers over our heads, and a beam of light shines down from above.
Layden’s whole body goes ramrod straight, and his head tilts back at an unnatural angle as he looks up.
“Layden!” I start to reach for him, but Sabra holds me back, wrapping her arms around me.
“Don’t!” she cries. “Look, it’s happening!”
“What?” I struggle to get out of her grasp, but she just clenches tighter.
“Stop it,” she says. “And don’t step out of the circle.”
Does she mean stepping out of the circle could do something even worse to Layden? I stop wrestling with her as we tip dangerously toward the outer rim of the central circle, near the whipping ring that’s spinning faster than ever around us.
And I really get a good look at Layden. Not only is his whole body stiff, head staring up at the mist, but there’s a white film now covering his eyes.
“Oh my god! What’s happening to him?”
“It’s okay,” Sabra says. “He’s just making contact with the other side.”
I glare at her, our faces only inches apart since she’s still got me in a bear hug. “What the fuck does that mean? Why is it only happening to him?”
“His runes were always directing us toward the realm his curse was from. This just means we finally found it.”
“You don’t know that for sure,” I bark. “You’re just guessing. All of this is just an experiment. I never should have let you—”
“What?” she asks, finally releasing me. “You never should have let me, what?” She shakes her head furiously. “When are you going to get that this is my life and my gift. Not everything is about you. I know that’s hard to get through your thick head, but I know what I’m doing. And I’m good at it. It’s not your job to protect me or let me do anything. You’re not my freaking mother.”
Is she really going to stand here arguing with me when Layden is catatonic like this? “It’s not about either of us,” I cry. “Look at him!”
Sabra does, not seeming worried at all, then she looks back at me. “I’m giving him what he asked for. He’s making contact with the realm his curse came from. I’m helping him find a cure.”
“He looks like a zombie. How is that helping him? Have you seen this happen before?”
