Vindicate (Insight #5)
Jamie Magee
Chapter One
They say that those who walk among angel s will prevail with the angels. Meaning if you never intended harm, then no harm will come to you. I find this to be BS. I walked among angels. I walked w ith Landen. I walked with Drake. Harm has come to us. Death is at our doorstep.
Two hours ago , a demon . A seductive evil witch that I will destroy took them from me . I don’t know how she did it. What words she said. What mind games she used. All I know is that they’re gone . Their bodies may be here, but she has trapped them somewhere. For the first time in my life , I cannot feel Landen. I am isolated .
Marc and Brady carried them here to the palace, to a room that is several doors down from Perodine’s study. They laid their bodies on the bed. One that was large enough to sleep four grown adults. I keep star ing at the space between them. Wanting to lie there. Wanting to pull Landen’s s eemingly lifeless body to me. Wanting more than anything to feel his energy, but I can ’t. I can’t because my father, Alamos, August , and Perodine have not stopped working on both Landen and Drake .
Outside , a storm is raging. It’s violent and angry. Dangerous. Just like me. Tears have n ot stopped pouring from my eyes. No sound , just tears. I was gripping the post of the bed that held a massive canop y over them. Sound had stopped. Time had stopped. I couldn’t hear the calming words Beth and Rose were saying to me as they caressed my hair and my back. I couldn’t hear the words Alamos was speaking over their lifeless bodies. I couldn’t hear my father, August, an d Perodine discuss their state. I couldn ’t hear the others, Brady, Marc, and Dane. I’m not sure when Dane came here or how long h e and Cl arissa had been trying to get my attention.
August must have called Brady to his side because I saw him rush to Landen and him. Marc was right behind him. Brady nodded as August spoke. Alamos didn’t seem to agree with everything he said , at least not the part that involved Marc. Brady left the room with Dane and Clarissa flank ing him. They had the intent to go to Pelh a n’s to seek his advice or medicine perhaps.
Marc paced the floor next to the bed , feeling trapped. My gaze fell on h im. His pace – his deep thought , his pure soul reminded me of Landen. His fierce eyes, broad shoulders , and determination emanated the shadow of his brother, Drake. The tears began to flow more fiercely from my eyes , and the windowpane behind Marc mocked the flow of my tears. The storm was growing quieter. A s if it w ere exhausted, as exhausted as I was.
I was trapped just like Marc. I had to stay here . I could not chase this demon. Not wi thout Landen. Not unless that d emon was in this dimension, and I had my doubts that she was.
The echo of that music. Those electrifying guitars I heard just before she vanishe d were the only comfort I had. That sound led me to believe that there was a way to defeat that demon. That sound was holding me together, giving me what little strength I had. It was giving me the strength to stand. To hold this end post and gaze at the body of the man I loved .
Alamos slammed the book he was reading closed and rushed from the room as if he had some kind of epiphany. Beth took his place at Drake’s side. I kept watching for breaths . Some kind of life from him . From Landen . A ll I saw was their skin becoming paler and paler. I ignored the blue tint tha t was forming around their lips. Their beautiful faces. I ignored it because it was the sign that told me they were really fading. That Landen was really leaving me. It was the sign that said that my death was only moments away . I ignored it because I was to o mad to die. Rage. A craving for revenge was the air that was seething through my lungs. It was my survival.
A cold blade against the back of my neck pulled me from my thoughts. I heard sawing and defensively turned to my side to see Alamos holding a knife and a lock of my hair. His old wise eyes , full of fear , stared into me as he wrapped my hair around his hand , then wiped my face dry. Leaving my lock of hair drenched in my tears that had fallen for each of them.
Alamos took th e knife and sliced the lock in two . He handed one to Perodine , who was beside Landen , then leaned over Drake , and at the same time they took my locks of hair and traced Landen and Drake’s brow, their nose, and lips, whispering a chant. All at once , breath seeped into their bodies. The breath Landen took was deep and lasting ; his chest continued to fill with air , then slowly let it out. The breath Drake took was weak , and though he was taking in air , it wasn’t half the amount that Landen was.
I felt the eyes of the room on me. I felt them question if my tears were strong enough to br ing Landen back but not Drake. Question if because I didn’t love Drake as much or in the same way that I could not save him , too. The mixed questions and intent infuriated me.
“OUT!” I said to the room.
They all looked at me like I was insane , freezing in place. “I said OUT, all of you!” Just as I rai sed my hands to argue my point , and to block their impending points of view they left , each of them. I stood still until I heard the door close , u ntil I was sure I was alone with the bodies of Landen and Drake.
I tried to think like Landen. Like Drake. To ask myself what would they do if this were reversed. My mind was invaded ; cruel memories of each time they had to do this taunted my thoughts . Of each tim e they watched my lifeless body. Th ere was on ly one thing that gave us power. My heart. My energy.
I w alked slowly to Landen’s body. My tears washed down my face. I let my hand rest on his chest. I smiled faintly as I felt his powerful breaths. I leaned in , closing my eyes and let ting my lips rest on his. The lack of response, the lack of life, tore into me. I leaned back and closed my eyes as I focused on my energy. I watched my soul move from my frail , weak body and linger next to Landen. I let my hand rest on his chest , then slowly I let my hand fall into him.