Perilous Waters (4 page)

She brought the pile to her bed, wrinkling her nose at the musty smell. Bookworms had eaten through the bindings. They looked like they were held together by magic and little else.

Opening the first book, she faced a page of shapes that looked more like a secret code than letters. “Here we go,” she murmured, concentrating on the letters as her power built up. The gold-toned mark on her arm blazed white as she released the magic. “Comprehend.”

The neat row of shapes shifted and writhed, transforming into words she could understand. She checked the next page, but her shoulders slumped as she saw that it was still in Greek. Getting through even one book was going to be a nightmare, casting spells for each and every page.

“And Angie says reading is fun,” she muttered, slumping against her pillow. Anything good would be made into a movie, but if she told that to Angie, all she would get was a list of books that were supposedly a million times better than movies and amusement parks put together.

Not that fun mattered. Now that she had gotten herself into this big mess with Ethan, and how she sort of… linked their souls together in a supernatural binding that meant he only stayed alive if she remained safe… and also, how she had seen his future-self die in Paris… well, yeah. Maybe she needed a little help from ancient magical wisdom.

She turned to the next page, and to the next. Most of the entries were nothing but long lists of spells, which she skimmed and dismissed. Daughter of Future could speed up time. Daughter of Past could speak to spirits. She should write them down, but she didn’t have time to worry about new spells. Her eyes darted across a detailed report on how different kinds of matter responded to magic. Another entry outlined family trees and marriages, how they made their livings, where they came from. She paused at one page explaining the proper rituals to use during the magic-marking ceremony, where the magic was passed from grandmother to granddaughter.

Nothing here was helping her understand her connection to Ethan. “Comprehend,” she muttered, for the thousandth time. Her magic was wearing thin, and the spell wouldn’t last very long now that she was so tired.

She should get to bed. She had work the next day, and being a summer camp counselor wasn’t the sort of job where she could sneak a nap. Not to mention, it wasn’t exactly a common thing for Daughters to create Guardians of Time in the first place. In ten books, maybe one would mention them. Figuring this out might take a long time.

“One more page,” she whispered.

The spell that let her understand the foreign letters faded. She turned the page quickly. The parchment crackled against her fingertips as she looked for anything that might offer a clue.

And then she saw it near the top of the next page.

Wanderer.

Her heart pounded as the word melted away into a jumble of confusing shapes. “Comprehend,” she said again, and in her excitement, forced more of her magic into the spell than she should.

Power flooded the book with golden light, enough to make it float in the air. “Crap,” she muttered as the words seared off the page and lit up the room. She cast a quick glance at the door. An enchanted book would be hard to explain if her mom decided to pop in her room.

“Stop it,” she ordered, tugging the book back in her lap and slamming it shut. The ancient tome shot bright light from between its frayed pages. She hefted the shimmering book under the blankets, waiting for the spell to fade.

When at last the magic became no more than a subtle glow, she re-opened the book to the page she had been on.

Her head hurt from the effort of keeping Comprehend going. “Please let it say something new,” she whispered, scanning the part about the Guardian dying if his corresponding Daughter died. Yes, yes, she understood that part. He shared her pain, not the other way around. It was all very one-sided, come to think of it. Basically the Daughters used a guy to do their killing. The whole thing sounded like a bum deal for Ethan.

No wonder he hated her.

Add to that the fact that Ethan had kissed her. And that he was Brian’s brother. And that she had been Brian’s girlfriend at the time of said kiss, but Ethan hadn’t known that—

What a mess.
She could hardly think about all of that without tears stinging her eyes. Her head dropped. She had only spent a week with Ethan. A week and they were bound for life? Didn’t they choose their own fates?

Maybe not. The passage hadn’t told her anything new, but she
had
to figure this out. If it wasn’t bad enough to be cursed into being someone’s guardian-slave, Ethan didn’t even want her.

Be real, Julia.
She shoved the volume aside
.
He hates you.

One of the books in her pile fell and she cursed softly. If these books fell apart, Angie would never let her hear the end of it.

The letters on the cover morphed into a word she understood.

Origins.

She tilted her head. The mark on her arm throbbed with magical over-use. Hopefully it would hold out long enough to keep reading. She opened the cover and the stiff parchment flipped to a spot near the beginning of the book. She scanned the paragraph.

The Sorceress had taken hold of the talisman sent by the Fates, the source of our power. Great beasts roamed the land in countless number. As her need for power grew, the Sorceress caused wars to be fought, maneuvering the minds of men against each other.

It was then that the Fates proclaimed that, among the Priestesses blessed with magic, three would be chosen to seal the Sorceress into the realm of the nether for all time.

Would it not be better to kill the Sorceress? The Priestesses asked.

No, was their reply. The Fates weave the destiny of the world, but it is not our right to kill.

Had the chosen priestesses known the strength of the Sorceress, they would have disobeyed the Fates and killed her instead.

“Seriously,” Julia whispered.

We are the daughters’ daughters of those chosen priestesses. The Sorceress is free once more, and we bear the burden of protecting the world from her destruction. Until now, we had to do this alone.

There came a day when I sensed the presence of a befouled Daimon. He was in the form of a man, and I knew well that he was a Wanderer, condemned by Ananke to live as mortals did, and that his punishment would last for ten thousand years three times over.

This I knew upon seeing him, gifted as I am with the sight. Long had he suffered, and I sensed the tragedy of his soul. He could not die, not by drowning or blade or fire, or any other device he could fathom. He was immune to the magic of the creatures of Mythos, and could not be killed in such a way, either. When he told me this, I realized that at last we had a chance, if he would help us, against the power of the Sorceress.

I thought of this as he begged me to use my powers to try and end his life. I could do no such thing. The magic of the Fates could only shape life, not take it. He was going to leave, then. And meanwhile my Sisters and I knew not how to overcome the Sorceress. She had her grip on two thirds of the world, whispering through the minds of kings and emperors, bringing about destruction and a world on fire. How would she be stopped?

I told the Daimon to wait. He was not moved by my cause, too determined to find a way to end his misery. I offered him the one thing I could: bind his life to mine, so that when I died, so would he.

To do such a thing, to defy Ananke and offer him release, it bore great risk. But the Sorceress could not be stopped if we could not kill her creatures. And this Daimon could.

But nothing comes without price. In exchange for this binding, he would be in my service. I could summon him as I needed. And he would be compelled to protect me and my Sisters. He would become our Guardian.

The Daimon agreed, and I bound him to me. My Sisters were displeased, afraid that he would let me perish to end his own life all the sooner. But he seemed pleased with his new purpose. Together, we finally triumphed over the Sorceress. She was at last thrust back into the nether.

Julia turned the page, but there was nothing left. No explanation of a way to undo the seal. She blinked as the list of spells on the following page blurred. “Oh no,” she whispered, flipping ahead before the Comprehend spell faded completely, but nothing mentioned Wanderers or Guardians… and nothing helped her understand how to end the binding between her and Ethan.

A flood of helplessness overwhelmed her as she shut the book.

Maybe there wasn’t a way.

~ Chapter 4 ~

Angie

Angie
shepherded her group of six-year-olds, all in bright yellow shirts that read
Adventure Camp
.
The port of Los Angeles bustled with activity, with booths and food trucks selling everything from Hawaiian shaved ice and teriyaki chicken kabobs to pirate themed t-shirts and replicas of sailing ships in miniature. With the city hosting the Tall Ships Festival, locals and tourists crowded the cement boardwalk, making it nearly impossible to walk in some places. The August sun beat down on the dark pavement and glittered off the calm, rippling water.

Angie tugged her ponytail through the back of her ball cap before counting the children in her group once more. “Dominic, stay in line.” The vendors with their sparkling trinkets and treats proved too tempting for the children’s bright curiosity. Little eyes darted from one booth to the next, followed quickly by reaching fingers. “Hold hands, guys,” she called. “Let’s make a train, woot-woot!”

The kids echoed her, making
woot woot
noises.

“These kids are hilarious,” Julia said, jogging up to take the rear in the choo-choo line. Angie bit her lip, but decided not to say anything about her tardiness. At least Julia had remembered to wear her neon orange counselor t-shirt.

“Miss Ju-Ju-Bee!”

Several children rushed up and tackle-hugged Julia. Her lips spread wide as she laughed.

“You missed me that much?” She ruffled a few heads before shooing them back in line. “Okay Rainbow Rockers, where’s my caboose? I think the train is gonna derail, oh nooooo!”

The kids at the back of the line giggled and Julia made a goofy face at them. Angie smiled, grateful that Julia had turned seventeen in time to be a camp counselor with her, and even more grateful that the camp director had let them work together in the same group. Angie recognized the fact that although she was better at making sure the kids followed the rules and stayed safe, Julia brought energy and silliness to their group that made things fun for the kids.

Julia bounced Maya onto her back. “I hear there’s a giant rubber ducky here, as big as a house.”

“Nuh-uh,” Maya said.

“Yah-ha!” Julia declared.

Skeptical hazel eyes peeked at Angie over Julia’s shoulder. “Is that true?”

“Absolutely true,” Angie said.

“What?” Julia teased. “You believe Angie, but not me?”

Maya giggled as they rounded the corner. “We’ll stop at the giant duck first,” Angie said, glancing down at the schedule she had prepared, “then tour the USS Ohio, and finish up with—”

“Giant rubber ducky! Giant rubber ducky!” Several kids cheered as an enormous yellow head and orange beak bobbed into view. Six-stories tall, the massive floating duck made the marina look like a giant bathtub, with nothing but toy ships sailing around it.

A bright smile sprung to Dominic’s lips, and before Angie understood the mischief forming in his little mind, he yelled, “I want to ride the duck,” and rushed into the crowd.

“No,” Angie called.
“Dominic!”

“I’ll nab him,” Julia said, sliding Maya off her back as light pooled in her palms.

“Wait, don’t—” Angie pressed her lips together and glanced down at the children who remained at her side.
Don’t use the magic
,
she wanted to say. Not in front of all these people.

Julia didn’t seem to care, sending thin spirals of light through the crowd. Angie glanced down at the children by her side, holding her breath.

“Think she’s gonna catch him?” Lyla asked.

“I don’t know,” Maya said, pursing her lips. “Dominic is pretty fast. If he jumps in the ocean, I’m pretty sure he’ll get away.”

Angie exhaled a little. It was so sunny that Julia’s magic blended in with the sunlight beating down on them and reflecting from the water. Maybe no one would notice.

Julia returned with an unrepentant Dominic, who grinned as he rejoined the group.

“You’re sparkly,” Lyla exclaimed.

Angie stifled a gasp at the sight of the boy, who looked as though he had been rolled in swirling, silver glitter.

“What were you thinking?” Angie hissed, glaring at Julia as the children remarked on Dominic’s magic-infused skin.

Julia shrugged. “I couldn’t let him fall into the water or get lost, could I? Besides, who’s gonna believe kids if they talk about magic?”

“But—”

“But, nothing,” Julia declared. “If magic is what it takes to make sure we don’t end up on the news, I’m using it. So what if he’s covered in magical bling for a few minutes? Big deal.”

“In emergency situations, I suppose,” Angie said. “But for now let’s use positive reinforcement.”

“Positive reinforcement,” Julia murmured. “Oh! You mean bribes. Yeah, that worked great last time. Show them the stickers now so we can distract them from Dominic’s sparkly new awesomeness.”

Angie flipped open the hatch in her clipboard and waved a sheet of glittery stickers toward the group. “Right here,” she said, turning to the kids. “You guys want your treasure box time when we get back to the youth center, don’t you?”

That got their attention. She smiled brightly as they hurried to form a perfectly straight line. Each sticker meant another turn choosing a prize before the end of the day, and Julia had been right… bribes worked
really
well on six-year-olds.

“Come on, Rainbow Rockers,” Julia called. “Let’s go see the duck!”

Angie
herded the kids toward the HMS Bounty. So far, they had successfully navigated everything on their itinerary, including a break for lunch and several bathroom stops. All that was left was a tour of the HMS Bounty. Then they could head back to the Youth Center.