Enflame (Insight #6)(50)

“Echo? Like the dead reading our intent and knowing what will be?”

“Right, but the echo will come to be. You will live through it. There is an echo coming at you, and I’m more than sure it ties into this. The echo is hitting a wall. This spell, I have faith that if you undo it, if Landen does, what you are about to fear will not matter. Time will move again, until you give it a reason to stop.”

“Clarissa, stop. Tell me. What do I do now!”

“No one can tell you that. Trust that you are living in the echo. As of now, the threshold into Jupiter's Square is here. When it passes, the echo will diminish, and you will then live through what you are doing now. In order for that to be a good echo, you have to move forward, patiently, powerfully, faithfully. Do not question your instincts. Ever.”

The Realm vibrated violently, knocking me to the ground, but when I fell, I didn’t see her above me, or The Realm for that matter. I felt the heat of the blazing pentagram.

The ghosts around us were rumbling in dismay as they watched Skylynn stomp out the fire of the pentagram with nothing more than the fury that was clearly seething from her.

Instantly, Landen and Phoenix were focused again. Skylynn charged toward Landen, throwing her fist at his chest over and over again. I jumped up to stop her, but he’d effortlessly gripped her wrist and was glaring down at her.

“You bastard!” she screamed. “You knew where he was! You knew he was marked for death! What did you do! Nothing! I will destroy you! Call every enemy and tell him where you are! I will take your little key you call a soul mate and feed her to the hounds!!”

The sensation of blood moved through my mouth, but one glance from Landen sent his essence into my core once more, bringing my control back. He let go of Skylynn’s wrist. I don’t know if it was him or Phoenix that was holding her in place, but she struggled against the nothing that was pinning her. Landen and Phoenix then began to circle her like she was prey.

“Do you want to rethink that threat?” Landen said against her neck as he circled behind her. His tone was cool, controlled. It was enticing to me, but I had no doubt it caused the tremble of fear I saw wave through her body.

“You betrayed me,” she answered as one tear came to the corner of her eye.

“I. Betrayed you,” Landen repeated.

“Guardian,” she pleaded as the hold on her became tighter.

“Do not ‘Guardian’ me,” Landen replied. “You knew.”

She looked away from him.

“Tell me you knew,” Landen demanded.

“Answer him!” Phoenix bellowed.

“Fine. I did. You should have, too.”

My eyes rushed across the three of them, not really sure whose side to take on this. I’d never seen Landen so cold, and it was like Phoenix was his guard dog, ready to attack.

“I was drunk on her essence. You had control. You knew, and you let us go through with it. You let her die in his arms, feet from me.”

“You did!” she screamed. “It was the fate you love so much Guardian. You were drunk on her and using who ever you could to satisfy that addiction.”

“I never used you!” Landen bellowed, causing her to tremble.

“That was not fate,” Phoenix added. “You didn’t want your little crush to leave you, and you had no hold on anyone else. You needed time to trap me.”

“He was not a crush!” she screamed through gritted teeth. “You would have left me,” she said to Landen. “I wasn’t even close to finding him, and you know that. We were not ready.”

“I was ready. You were not,” Landen said as his eyes raked over her in disgust.

“You were not ready then. You would have altered your course to fight Xavier. You made me promise to never let you forget who you wanted to destroy.”

“You caused this to fail,” Landen seethed. “A chain reaction that I have to undo now. If I lose my sister because of this that karma will follow you forever more.”

“It has already followed me. I have regretted this night a thousand times over. You know that.”

Landen stopped his slow pace around her and peered down into her blue eyes, which were glassed over with tears. “Are you holding it back now?”

“No...my lover is.”

“How?” Landen asked flatly.

“You know how. That is your Karma. You did nothing to stop it.”

Landen glanced at me, then all around him. “He’s alive. The dead would have said otherwise.”

“A mirrored soul opened his mind. They are showing him life on this side but not the other. They are pivoting against his brother. If they bring him down, this web of yours will be destroyed. You want have my energy for the spells.” She glanced at Phoenix. “And if he has his way you wont have his much longer.”

“Phoenix’s fate will lead him where he needs to be and when.”

“Both of you are too stubborn for your own good.” She said with a glare.

“Did Silas strike him?” Landen asked.

They must be taking about Draven. I was so confused.

“Not yet,” she said, breathing out as if the hold on her had loosened.

“Even if he could see me, I can’t go to him. He’s in the heavens, getting his head together, apparently.”