Synergy (See #3)(82)

Madison didn’t argue with him.

“I’m ending this now,” he said. And with that, he vanished.

The willow trees fell into the ground, and the field was there again, but only for a moment; in the distance, a stone gazebo appeared. It was medieval enough to make me think that maybe we were close to Landen and Drake.

The three of us stepped forward. As we walked, the ground turned into rose petals, the air grew frigid, and a gentle snow began to whisk through the air. When we came closer, I saw two images in the center of gazebo: one boy and one girl. I hoped against all hope that it was the ones Silas had told me were guarding Landen.

I watched as the shadowed figures reached for each other. A poetic piano began to play all around us, and the rose petals lifted from the ground and floated angelically to the heavens above. It was beautiful enough to bring a tear to anyone’s eye. I felt horrible for interrupting this couple, for stealing this moment, but I needed to know where to go next.

There were five wide stone steps that led up to where the couple was standing. As I stood on the top step, I found myself mesmerized by the sound of the piano. The snow mixed with the rising petals was breathtaking from this vantage point. I felt Madison grip my arm, and I focused on what I was doing. The girl’s back was to us, and the man’s head was leaning against her forehead.

Their image wasn’t what had caused Madison to steal my attention. Bianca was in the shadows. Slowly, she crept toward the couple, but they never looked up. I was almost sure they were an illusion and not the guards I was hoping to find. Bianca reached for the boy’s shoulder, and when she did, Aden’s knees buckled beneath him, causing him to fall at my side; it was clear that image and him were somehow connected.

On instinct, I charged toward Bianca, but Madison held me back. She thought it was a trap, and she had every right to; there was no way to know what Bianca was up to. She let her hand fall from the man, and when she did, Aden found his strength and was at my side instantly.

Bianca looked at me, then winked and whispered, “Wake” to the boy beside her. She vanished as the boy looked up, and that’s when we saw Aden’s image holding the girl. The image looked down at her as we moved closer, wide-eyed.

“What is it?” the girl said.

I heard my voice coming from her and moved around and saw my image in his arms.

“Nothing,” the image of Aden said as he pulled my image closer.

“This is over now,” Madison said, and with that, the beautiful display vanished and we were in a field.

“ADEN, wake!” I said, gripping his arm.

“I’m not leaving you here; that’s what she wants,” he argued, displaying fierceness in his green eyes.

“She wants to drive a divide - we can’t do that. She’s putting these images in your head to mess with Draven. Don’t give her that edge,” I argued.

“I’m not giving her anything. Let’s end this.”

“Aden, seriously,” Madison argued, but before she could go on with whatever speech she had, the flawless men in black appeared all around us. Panic caused me to freeze in place, to forget how to fight them, but Aden didn’t hesitate. He reached for the man next to him and pulled the darkness out; he’d fought three of them before I came to my senses.

A man standing before me raised his hand and pulled his fingers forward; as if I were under his command, ghostly images of butterflies began to escape from my chest. At first it didn’t phase me, but after a few had left, I felt myself growing colder.

I balled my hands into a fist, pushing the ring into my skin, finding the power to push my emotions back into the dormant place that had given me the courage to come this far. I focused on the music, the song we’d recreated. I felt the energy of the music in my hands, throughout every part of my body. I held my hands out, wanting to end this man with the power Monroe had showed me, but something - maybe the command in his stone cold eyes - wouldn’t let me take a step forward. I couldn't even get close enough to pull the darkness out. I was losing before I even began to fight.

Aden came out of nowhere and pulled the darkness out of the man, causing him to fall to the ground. Others were appearing, and Madison was fierce, fighting just as many of them as Aden did.

“Stay behind me!” Aden yelled.

He was in front of me, and Madison was behind me, but my pride wouldn’t let me be the weak link. I tried again to push light with music at the men’s head, but I couldn’t get close enough. The sheer number of men that were appearing pulled Madison and Aden away from me. I gave up on what Monroe had told me to do and just began to reach into them. It was disgusting; I would forget to focus on pulling all of it out and feel slimy worms. As soon as I focused, I felt the rock and pulled, but more than one had managed to call my light - in the form of butterflies - out of me. I was growing weak; we all were.

Then I felt someone’s hand on my wrist as I reached back to push into a man that was attacking me. The man in front of me was frozen in place now. My first thought was that it was Silas coming to the rescue, but the hand I felt holding my wrist was too delicate, and slightly cold.

“You were told how to end this,” I heard a girl say. It was a voice I didn’t know. She put her other hand on my waist. “Close your eyes.” I did as she said, feeling calm and breath coming back to me. “See your energy - see your power all around you.” I nodded to tell her that I was holding that illusion in my mind, that I felt myself growing stronger. “Now focus it on your hands. Feel the power you feel when you play.”