The Council Read online

  I watch him cross the room and feel myself slip into sleep just as Clio’s door clicks closed.

  Chapter Eleven

  The Dedication Ceremony

  WHEN I OPEN my eyes, I’m walking through Ignis. I’m barefoot and pained, the sensation so real I wonder for a long moment if it’s really just a dream. It’s dark, but something isn’t right. It isn’t nighttime—the sky is filled with thick plumes of smoke. In the distance, there’s screaming and the sound of desperate spells being cast but none of the voices sound familiar. I’m wandering the border of Ignis, close to that of the Grove. As if on cue, a group of trees nearby bursts into flames. I jump away from it, feeling panic rise as I notice a handful of fires already burning in the distance.

  “What’s happening?” I whisper, not noticing my foot tangle into a root until I’m sent slamming to the ground.

  “You’re one of us,” Iris’ voice floats through my mind, and I struggle to compose myself.

  The sound of her voice sends me into a frenzy. I desperately try to flip over, to see her in the chaos. When I manage to look up again, the yellow eyes of a beast crouched beside me opens.

  I scream out just as my eyes open to see Clio’s panicked face above me. His eyes are wide with his concern as his hand rests on my shoulder.

  “Damn it, Li, you were screaming,” he says, staring at me through bloodshot eyes. “Are you okay?”

  I swallow heavily, feeling my heart tremble with the aftereffects of the dream. It had felt so real, I was sure whatever I had seen would kill me. Clio takes his hand off me and takes an uncertain step away. I sit up to take in a deep breath.

  “Y-yeah,” I reply finally, pushing my blue-black hair from my eyes as I send a half-hearted smile his way. “It’s just a bad dream is all.”

  “You could’ve warned me you have nightmares,” he says, holding a hand up to his temples. “I didn’t know what was going on—I thought one of those bitches got in here.”

  Bags lie under his eyes, and his face has crease marks. It’s then that I’m aware he’s once again only wearing boxers, and suddenly, I feel bad for having woken him up.

  “I’m sorry,” I mumble, feeling my mouth run dry. I regret not having anything to drink at dinner.

  He notices the tone of my voice and frowns. “It’s no big deal, really. Go back to sleep.”

  I shake my head and tuck a lock of hair behind my ear. “That’s okay. I think I’ll start getting ready for the ceremony.”

  “It’s hours away,” he says, sitting on the bed beside me.

  “Then I’ll have time to think.”

  “You’re not considering changing your mind, are you?” He raises his eyebrow.

  “Of course not. I’m just not tired anymore.”

  “What did you dream about?” he asks suddenly, watching my every move. “If you don’t mind me asking, of course.”

  “I-I don’t remember,” I breathe. The last traces of the dream disappeared as soon as my eyes opened, but there’s a resonating feeling in the pit of my stomach that lets me know it was nothing good.

  “Well, this is for you,” he says, reaching toward his dresser before he hands me a dress that had been folded neatly on top. “For the Ceremony.”

  “You got me a dress?” I ask, jerking my head back a bit as I take it from him.

  Clio laughs as he watches my reaction. “No, Helena brought it over shortly after you went to sleep. She had a feeling you’d need it. She actually brought two of them, but I didn’t think you’d appreciate the pink one very much.”

  “Helena? She doesn’t even know I’m here,” I murmur, running the fabric of the dress between my fingers.

  “Apparently she does. She doesn’t need powers…that one is intuitive.”

  “That she is,” I note, holding up the dress. “Thanks anyway.”

  “You’re welcome,” he says, standing to his feet before he turns to look at me, shuffling his feet a bit. “D-do you need help getting dressed?”

  I smile and shake my head at the sight of nervousness on his face. It’s not an emotion he shows often. “I can manage, Clio, thanks.”

  “Oh, now you’re shy?” He laughs, gesturing to the patch of my underwear that’s visible through his shuffled blanket before he turns to leave the room.

  I watch him go before I strip off the shirt he had leant me and pull the dress on. I lay the discarded clothes onto his bed before I use my telekinesis to stand up and walk over to the bathroom to see my reflection in the mirror. I wash the sleep off my face—grateful for the cold water—and brush my hair before I look at myself. The blue of the dress Helena had picked perfectly matched the blue tone of the highlights in my black hair.

  “Helena’s Equipped with knowledge and fashion powers,” I mumble to myself, smiling slightly at my own joke as I leave the bathroom.

  When I walk into the living room, Clio adjusts the sleeve of his white dress shirt, staring at his reflection in the mirror perched beside the door.

  “Look at you, dressed all stylish!” I gush, holding my palms out.

  The corner of his lip turns up as he glances at me, fixing his sleeve the rest of the way. “You don’t look so bad yourself.”

  “Thank you,” I reply, eyeing my Book on the table beside his chair.

  “Something wrong?” he asks, dipping his head to catch my gaze.

  “Uh, no, just thinking,” I say as flashes of my dream suddenly running through my mind.

  “Don’t worry about your Book, you can leave that here,” Clio offers, turning back to the mirror to slick his black hair back with his hand.

  “Are you just about ready to go?”

  He nods. “We’ll be early though.”

  “That’s okay. We can stop by Helena’s and see if she’ll come with us.”

  “She will, you know she will…but…”

  I raise an eyebrow. “But what?”

  “She’s probably not going to be in the best mood,” he points out. “After the fights she had with you and me yesterday, and the Dedication Ceremony today, she’s gonna be completely out of sorts.”

  “You’re right,” I say, holding my fingers to my chin as I swallow quickly. I hadn’t considered what today would mean for her. The Arcane Ceremony had been hard enough but this is like putting the final nail in the coffin. “She’ll need us more than ever then.”

  “Well, let’s go,” he commands.

  He takes the lead, and I follow behind him. I’m glad to see him not fussing over my leg, and I have to wonder if that's because he has other problems weighing on his mind. I push the idea away and focus on the walk itself. The sleep I had managed to get—added to Fern’s chew—makes my leg feel ninety percent better. I raise my face to the sky, feeling the morning sun sink into my skin. Clio glances at me from the corner of his eye before doing the same. I smile to myself. We’re content in each other’s company even though neither of us says a word.

  It’s such an odd relationship we have.

  Eventually, we arrive at Helena’s house. Clio knocks, and I stand back a foot, twining my fingers uncertainly. It surprises me to see the smile on her face when she opens the door to us. She is dressed as beautifully as she had been at the Arcane Ceremony, her hair neatly combed into a long braid running down her back.

  It’s never a surprise to see her looking good.

  “Hey, guys,” she greets. The tone of her voice makes it obvious her smile had been fake.

  “Hi, Helena. How are you feeling today?” I prompt.

  She looks at me and takes a deep breath through her nose before her lips part. “Let’s just say this isn’t a favorite day of mine.”

  Clio’s face twists in an I-told-you-so expression. His haughtiness doesn’t help any to ease the sudden guilt I feel.

  “Ready to go?” I ask Helena, ignoring Clio.

  She nods. “That dress looks good on you,” she says, pulling the door closed behind her.

  “You have great taste,” I reply, glancing down at myself
as I grasp handfuls of the gown in both hands and hold it out. If I wasn’t crippled, I might’ve been inclined to give her a quick twirl to show my appreciation. “Are you gonna be okay? You seem kind of quiet.”

  “I-it’s just I don’t see the point of UnEquipped going to this.” She shakes her head slightly. “I never have.”

  “Why not? You’re just as much of a part of this Coven as we are,” Clio says. “Possibly more important since UnEquipped keep it running by focusing on Coven Duties.”

  My heart skips a beat at his words as I realize I’ve completely blown off my own duties. My hands feel suddenly clammy at that thought, and I wonder if The Council will come after me for it, or if they’ll be a little more understanding.

  Angel’s probably mad at me too…I need to apologize.

  “It doesn’t matter. I mean, it doesn’t matter what Coven I live in so why mark me? All UnEquipped are the same,” Helena says, balling her hands into fists at her side. “Even Claudia agrees with me.”

  “There’s no one like you, Helena,” I argue, feeling a prick of anger for the witch covering Helena’s Coven Duties. It’s one thing to be bitter about the circumstances of your birth, but another to drill your bitterness into the head of someone going through a rough time. “Getting the piercing shows your loyalty to your home, and that’s what it’s all about.”

  “Yeah, I guess so,” she says, sounding unconvinced as she shrugs her shoulders.

  Without hope, Helena doesn’t seem like herself—without her Book either. She seems naked as she stands between me and Clio. She’s bared her heart on her sleeve with the knowledge nothing can be done to fix it.

  I know exactly how that feels.

  She purses her lips and doesn’t say another word, but I know she isn’t feeling any better for our trying. I glance at Clio, and he looks back at me with a face that says, You tried.

  “Helena, I didn’t formally apologize last night when you dropped off Lilith’s dress. I should’ve, I’m sorry. For that and for yesterday.” He stares her down as he steps into her path.

  Helena’s face is stoic as she makes eye contact. “Oh, it’s alright, Clio, really. Don’t worry about it.”

  Clio and I exchange a deep look. The fire in our friend doesn’t seem to be kindled by anything, and I know the thing she needs the most is time. I sigh in defeat as we travel the foot-trodden path through the dry soil as we once again head to the Ceremony Grounds. Our footsteps from the past few days are marked into the hardened Earth along with the others from our Coven, and I pray that with any luck, this will be the last time we have to make the trip in a while.

  Like the day before, there are already gathered groups of Equipped and UnEquiped from every Coven. The mood seems different at this ceremony as well. People are excited for their piercings, excited to become an official part of their Coven. A member of The Council looks to be in charge of each Coven.

  “This is where we part ways,” Helena says with a longing stare toward the group of our Equipped classmates before she backs away to head for the UnEquipped.

  Before turning away, I see the flash of emotion in her eyes—betrayal. The thing that hurts her the most is that I’m not by her side through this. She feels abandoned by the fact I developed powers, along with the thought that she wasn’t able to, and lonely with the idea that a path we were supposed to tread together has been abandoned. I watch her go, tempted to follow when I feel Clio’s hand on my shoulder.

  “There’s nothing you can do for her now,” he assures me.

  I nod my head slightly before I face him, eyes filled with my emotions. “Why do I feel so guilty?” I whisper.

  He frowns. “What do you have to feel guilty for?”

  “Things aren’t going to be the same anymore, not like they were before I developed powers. She has to go through this alone because…because I’m a freak.” I feel a tear drip from my eye, and I reach up to wipe it away quickly, both startled and embarrassed by the reaction.

  “Stop it,” he says, digging his fingers a bit into my shoulder. “You had equal chances of developing powers, and this is just how things turned out.”

  I chuckle once to myself, staring at the ground as I wipe away another batch of tears that bubble in each eye.

  “What’s so funny?” he asks, dropping his hand off me.

  “Did we really have the same chance?”

  “Of course, why ask that?”

  “My parents admitted they haven’t told me the truth of my accident. Most of my life has been a lie. My accident is what made me who I am, and I can’t remember a damn thing about it.” I swallow roughly, throat suddenly tight and dry. “I don’t know who I am, Clio.”

  “Nonsense,” he argues, enunciating each syllable. “Your accident did not shape you into who you are. Your personality did. You’re a strong person, you’re Lilith! You need to let things go—if only for five minutes—and tell yourself that everything is going to be okay.”

  I dip my head to break eye contact, and I hear him sigh.

  “Come on,” he says.

  I turn to look at him, sniffling as he leads the way to the Equipped group. There are only a few witches in line in front of us. A few of them call greetings to Clio, and he says a few kind words back but like the Arcane Ceremony, he does not leave my side. I appreciate him for that. I scratch at my face, risking a glimpse of the Equipped Mentis group. Dawn’s at the head of the pack, her head high as she looks out among her classmates and soon-to-be army. Once again, I hope I’m making the right choice. I become so enveloped in my mind that no time at all seems to pass before it’s Clio’s turn.

  He takes in a breath as he glances at me. “Wish me luck.”

  I squeeze his hand once—the best comforting gesture I can offer in my current state—and watch him approach the Council member in charge of piercings for Ignis. I’m surprised to see a girl rather than Tarj, and briefly, I wonder where he is before I shrug it off. He’s the last person I want to see anyway when things are already so chaotic. She holds the gun to Clio’s ear, and I see him close his eyes at the pain as she slips the red crystal into his right ear.

  “You’re done,” she says to him.

  He reaches up to poke at the new part of his ear before he nods and approaches me. “That hurt more than I thought it would,” he admits.

  “You, with the black hair, you’re up,” the girl calls to me.

  An unpleasant smile crosses my face, and I take a step forward, eyeing the gun in the girl’s hand.

  “Wait!” a voice calls, stopping me halfway to my target. A chill runs down my spine, and I turn to see the source.

  Tarj appears from the nearby line of trees, jogging across the grounds to catch up to me as if his life depends on it. “Don’t get that piercing!”

  “What? Why?” I ask, oddly defensive as I stare at him, jaw slackening.

  “I need you to come with me to Headquarters."

  Chapter Twelve

  The Sage

  TARJ LOOKS UNPREPARED for the Ceremony as he comes to a rest beside me. His shaggy silver hair once again appears windswept, and his clothes are those for combat—not the Ceremony.

  This can’t be good.

  I stare at him and manage a pitiful, “What?” It’s not every day that a witch is asked to go to The Council’s home. I can’t imagine any scenario where this ends in a positive manner.

  Clio must have the same thought. Instantly, he reaches out to wrap his fingers around my arm and takes a step to put a protective distance between Tarj and me.

  “Why should she go with you?” he demands, jutting out his chin. “She’s done nothing wrong.”

  “I’m aware of that, Clio,” Tarj replies, meeting Clio’s challenging gaze. “However, I need to bring her back with me and there are two ways this can go. I’m sure you can guess what they are.”

  My heartrate increases at his words—I have to go with them. They will fight to take me there if it comes down to it. My lips part and I try to say som
ething coherent, but I close my mouth again. I can’t imagine what’s going to happen in my immediate future, and it scares me. Why does The Council need to speak to me of all the witches here? Is it about Iris? Will they put me on trial for speaking with her—or rather for breaking their rules to do so? Or do they have other plans for me…something sinister like they did with Willow?

  “Is this because of Iris?” I ask finally, digging my heels into the ground in the sudden fear that he’ll drag me away.

  Clio’s grip loosens a bit but he doesn’t let me go as Tarj faces me, tilting his head to the side. “Partly, but not for the reason you may think. The Sage wants to speak with you.”

  Clio’s eyes grow wide as his eyes shift to me. “The Sage!?” He turns back to Tarj with a crease in his brow and pulls me just a bit closer to him. “This sounds serious.”

  “I’m afraid it is,” Tarj says, reaching a hand toward me. “Come on, Lilith.”

  I bite my lip and stare at him, wishing the Earth would open and swallow me whole so I could avoid it all. I wonder if they used similar tactics to get Willow to come with them as well.

  Clio runs his fingers down my arm and drops his grip. “You’ll be okay,” Clio assures me, tilting his chin down to stare into my eyes. The look there betrays his calm tone, and I know he had only said them for Tarj’s benefit—he doesn’t want The Council to know of his suspicions…even if they are painted on his face.

  I sigh and take a few hesitant steps toward Tarj, every instinct in me screaming to run, and I have to resist the urge to laugh. If I do that, I won’t get very far, and The Council would have something to arrest me for. Tarj doesn’t say another word as he sets his hand on my shoulder, offering me a gentle smile that’s ignored as I stare at Clio.

  Be safe, he mouths to me.

  I shift my attention away as Tarj takes me over the border of the Grove and deeper into their territory. There’s a trill of adventure at the thought of traveling into brand new land, but it’ll come at a price, I’m sure. I risk a glance over my shoulder to see that Clio is not happy. His arms are folded over his chest and he watches me walk away with a stoic expression on his face.