Under the Winter Sun (Elemental Enchanters Series Book 3) (20 page)

“I’m so sorry you had to go through that. I’m glad to see you back in one piece. I don’t know what I would do without you.”

He wrapped his arms around her. Her heart pounded. The smell of smoke lingered on his clothes and she frowned. A reminder of what she made him experience again. She pulled away, and he took her hands in his. When she looked up, his eyes met hers with a tortured gaze. It haunted her. She had never seen him so shaken. She caught glimpses of pain and relief from him as if he were having a hard time holding it together.

“Gabe, are you okay?”

“They burned everything, including people. That’s what he did to my home and my family. It was terrible. Sean showed us everything that happened. How they invaded the town. We saw children being taken from their parents.” 

Ava’s heart sank and she saw the terror in his eyes. “I’m so sorry.” 

“It felt like we were there when it happened. Like they were running past us to find safety but we just stood there, watching in horror what had happened hours before. We saw the heartless demons obliterate the place in fire and death. They just left it like that. They wanted us to see that. I never wanted to remember what happened to my family, but seeing it last night, I will never forget that.” He shook his head as if to remove the images. Then he pinned her with his eyes. “But in that chaos, all I could think about was getting back to—.”

“Gabe,” Natalia cried as she cleared the top of the stairs. She jogged toward him, and in one swift motion, pulled him into her arms, breaking his hold on Ava. “What’s wrong? I felt you.”

Even as he hugged Natalia, he stared at Ava. What was he going to say? He never answered her, but he seemed overwhelmed, which was unusual for him. Exhaustion would make a person emotionally unstable, Ava decided, even someone like Gabriel. 

“Come on,” Natalia said. “You must be exhausted.” She guided him into his room and shut the door, leaving Ava alone in the hallway. She clutched her chest, feeling her rapidly beating heart. The painful look in his eyes troubled her, and she hoped he wouldn’t have nightmares. Ava assured herself that he would be okay since Natalia was consoling him, but she felt a pang of jealousy that she wasn’t the one comforting him.

She made her way to her old room, shut the door behind her and leaned against it. What was he about to say?

Sighing, she sauntered to the bed, and pulled back the thick blankets. She kicked off her black boots and slid underneath the covers. Staring at the vaulted ceiling, she wasn’t sure if sleep would come since she was anxious about leaving.

What exactly would they encounter on their way to Caprington? Would they win the war? Would they survive? The last question only brought more worries. She rolled onto her side and tried clearing her mind. It wasn’t the first time she’d been told to push her thoughts aside. She had to sleep and let the worries come to her when she woke.

The night was cold. The leafless oaks crouched over the Manor while the pines stood tall and straight. The remnants of the blue moon waned above them, and the atmosphere was electric. The Enchanters were focused on their training. Praise or comments for adjustment followed from the Elders. The mock fighting went on for days leading up to the night before their departure. 

Gabriel deflected a fireball from Thomas. Gabriel moved to Gillian. A crooked smile spread across her face.

“Stop,” she demanded. Gabriel obeyed, his eyes glazed over as Gillian took control of his mind. “Attack Eric.”

Gabriel lunged for Eric, but grabbed thin air, as several Eric’s darted away from him in all directions. Eric caught Gabriel from behind and knocked him hard to the ground. Dark clouds gathered above them, and lightning lit the sky. The wind picked up and pushed Gillian to the ground, breaking her hold over Gabriel. Ava summoned water and shot it at Aidan, who had created the storm. Katarina’s hands glowed, and she projected a ball of radiation toward Ava. Ava created a shield of water, protecting herself. Katarina tried again, but Lance absorbed the massive ball and shot it back toward her. A sharp high-pitched sound filled Ava’s ears, and she fell to her knees. Thomas hurled a fireball at Natalia. She dodged it and stared at Thomas until he fell under her charm.

Natalia flew back into a tree, allowing Thomas to stand. He nodded sharply to Konstantin. Moira tackled Konstantin and knew his every move before he made it.

After their last practice, they gathered in the dining room for one last meal at the Manor. Ava’s father and the other parents joined them. Mr. and Mrs. Rollins showed up with smiles on, but Ava knew it was hard for them to be there. The chatter was loud and Sean held everyone’s attention by telling funny stories, much to the embarrassment of Ronan and Aidan. 

“Ah, me boys are the best,” Sean said. “Though, one time Shannon had asked Ronan to kill a spider for her. He was about seven I suppose and he told her he wouldn’t do it. Well, then Moira hopped down from her chair, she was about five, and with a hand on her hip, she said ‘fine, I’ll do it.’” Sean laughed and everyone followed.

Shannon rolled her eyes. “She’s always been that way. She takes after her mother.” She winked at Moira.

“Moira and Melissa would get along so well.” Cailin, Melissa’s mother frowned, and a few tears fell down her cheeks. “I hope you find her and bring her home.”

“I promise you, I will rescue her and bring her home,” Lance said, his voice full of conviction.

“We’ll save them all,” Sean said. 

A few minutes later, the stories and laughter resumed. Some stayed while others left the room, preparing for tomorrow. Ava remained with her father in the dining hall and listened to stories of Sean’s kids growing up, as Aidan, Ronan, and Moira rolled their eyes. Ava loved hearing them. She’d never known her family and never had large gatherings.

“Connor, it’s a shame you won’t be joining us,” Sean said.

“Yeah. I know.”

Sean turned to Ava. “Your father was surely a fighter. He saved so many of us, including your mother. Though, she was quite a firecracker out there as well.”

“You remind me so much of her, dear,” Shannon said. “She was brave like you.”

Ava shifted uncomfortably. She wanted to stay with her father, but she didn’t want to talk about her mom. She guessed no one knew what her mother had done.

“Ava’s definitely braver than Luci,” her father said. “I saw her bravado as early as about five years old. She was outside playing with a neighbor’s kid, and a car was barreling down the street. She ran out and pushed the kid out of the car’s way. Luckily, the driver swerved and missed her.”

Shannon gasped. “Good gracious. How extraordinary.”

“Wow.” Moira’s jaw hung open.

Ava had always heard the story, but she could only remember bits and pieces of it. Sadly, the kid next door moved, so she never got to know her.

“It’s getting late,” her father told her.

Ava’s heart dropped. “You aren’t leaving are you?”

“I’m staying here tonight.” He stood and the others wished him goodnight. Ava walked with him out of the room and stopped at the bottom of the stairs.

“Don’t be nervous,” he told her.

“I’m trying not to be.” She bit her lip. “Can we…I want to visit Mom’s grave in the morning.” Ava barely spoke above a whisper. Something inside nagged at her to see her mother’s grave before she left because she’d possibly never see it again.

Her father gave her a curious look. “Are you sure?”

“I’m not ready to forgive her. I just need…” her voice trailed. She wasn’t sure what she needed. She wanted to see it one last time.

“I’ll speak to Savina. You should go up soon.” He hugged her, and she held on tight. “Don’t get all emotional on me. We’ll see each other in the morning.” He stroked her hair.

She forced the tears away as she let go of her father. “I’ll be fine.”

“Yes, you will. Good night, sweetie.”

“Good night, Dad.”

Ava watched him walk up to his room, and then shut her eyes tight. She clenched her teeth, slowing her breaths. She didn’t want to break down, but she couldn’t help but think it would be the last time she ever said good night to her father.

A roar of laughter echoed from the dining room and then Aidan, Ronan, and Moira emerged.

“Ugh, do they always have to tell that story?” Ronan asked.

“I swear, they’re crazier every time they come here,” Aidan said.

Ava followed them into the library where most of the Enchanters had retreated.

“You know he’ll never change,” Moira told them, and dropped down in the empty seat next to Thomas.

“I have a question for you three,” Gillian said to them.

Gabriel pulled out the chair next to him for Ava. She sat down, leaning back and stretching out her legs.

“Okay, what’s up?” Moira asked Gillian.

“How is it that your parents still have powers if you all have yours?”

Ronan smiled a little. “We’re adopted.”

“Oh. I didn’t know.”

Aidan shrugged. “It’s okay.”

“Melissa is adopted. So is it weird going into this with your parents?”

“Not really,” Ronan said. “I guess I’m used to it by now.” He played with a curl.

“How old are y’all? Where in Ireland are you from?” Gillian continued her interrogation.

“Aidan and I are nineteen and Moira is seventeen. And we’re all from Dublin.”

“How long have you been Enchanters?”

“She asks a lot of questions,” Lance said, apologetically.

“It’s all good. We’re the new kids on the block.”

“Have you encountered any Cimmerians before?”

“No, but we’ve heard stories. Sorry about what they’ve done to you.”

Gillian frowned and looked away. “Yeah.”

Lance wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

“How are we ever going to sleep tonight?” Gillian looped and unlooped a curl around her finger.

“You close your eyes and drift off,” Natalia said nonchalantly, thumbing through a magazine. Eric nudged her.

“Ugh, are you always like this?” Gillian asked.

Natalia looked up with a glare. “Are you—.”

“Not tonight,” Eric warned.

“Well, even though there’s a lot of drama in our group, we’re in this together,” Gillian said. “We have each other and we need to stay that way. “There was a rift between Ava and Peter recently that caused a bit of tension but—.”

“Gillian!” Lance smacked her arm.

Ava couldn’t believe she was actually talking about that in front of everyone.

“I’m sure if Ava wanted to talk about it, she’d do it herself,” Gabriel said. Natalia stared at him.

“What? I wasn’t going to say anything. I wanted to say that even with that rift Peter and Katarina are resilient and can protect us.”

Ilya nodded, his eyes slid over Ava. “Indeed, they are. They’re incredible together. Which makes us invincible. Sorry Ava.” He frowned.

Ava waved her hand dismissing his comment, but it made her uncomfortable.

Savina entered the library with Aaron. “We have a long journey ahead of us. You should all rest,” she said. They all pushed their chairs out from behind them and stood. “But before you go, no matter what happens we must survive and do what it takes to end this. We have an incredibly talented and strong group of Enchanters. They are expecting us to leave, but do not know when. Now, get some sleep and meet us back in the conservatory in the morning.” She smiled and hugged each one as they made their way out of the room.

Ava searched for forgiveness in Savina’s eyes.
You are strong. Never forget that
. She spoke into Ava’s mind and let her go. 

Black clouds hovered above like an omen. The morning was silent and cold. A fog had rolled in, and Ava paused under the arched entrance of the cemetery. She watched her father move toward her mother’s grave, but she couldn’t make her feet move forward. She’d been there too many times last year. If she ever created a New Year’s resolution list, one resolution would definitely be no funerals. But given that they were headed to a war, she knew that was inevitable. Some of them would die. They would all be changed forever. She wondered if any of them would give up and join Havok.

“Are you okay?” Gabriel asked from behind. He’d teleported them, with Aaron and Katarina, for the special trip.

“Yeah. I was just giving my dad some time alone,” she lied. It was partially true. She didn’t know if she wanted to see her mother’s grave. She couldn’t talk to it. Her mother’s spirit was somewhere, but not there. Even if she could talk to her mom, she wasn’t sure what she’d say.

“If it helps, I visited my uncle’s grave,” he said, his voice closer.

She gave a sidelong glance. “You did?”

“Yeah.”

“What happened?”

“At first, I was angry. He’d given up on me. Left me to fend for myself. I was so young and it almost broke me that he left. But after I went through all the anger, I said my piece, more to myself, and left. I haven’t been back since.”

“Did you ever forgive him?”

“Forgiveness is tricky. But no, I never did.” He shrugged. “I probably never will.”

“So I shouldn’t forgive my mom?”

“I can’t make that decision for you. But it doesn’t make you a bad person if you don’t.”

“I feel like I shouldn’t disown her until I know why she did it. But at the same time, is there an excusable reason for what she did?”

“True. You could also argue that even though she did that, you’re still here. Soul intact. Havok doesn’t own you. He never will unless you let him.”

“So maybe it was an empty promise.”

He lifted a shoulder. “Maybe.”

Ava turned to face the cemetery, watching her father bow his head and wipe his eyes. “I’m the only thing he has. I have to make it back.”

“You will.”

She clenched her teeth, hoping the tears wouldn’t come, and took a deep breath. “I’ll be back.”

“I’ll be here.”

She nodded, grateful for him. She ambled through the entrance under the leafless oaks and slouching magnolia trees. She passed an angel sitting atop a tall headstone, looking off in the distance as if protecting the deceased and a statue of a dog who was buried next to his owner. 

Ava moved beside her father and stopped. He took her hand and squeezed. Staring at her mother’s engraved name didn’t bring any emotion. She only thought of her father.

“I don’t want to leave you,” she said.

“I know, but you have to.”

“Who’s going to protect you?”

“Savina will have extra charms over the Manor.”

“Okay, but what if something happens when you’re not there? What if another disease outbreak happens? What if—.”

“Ava.” He turned to face her. “You can’t worry about what ifs. Savina left us with healing potions. We’re still Enchanters, even though our powers have depleted. We can take care of ourselves.” He winked.

“I’m scared.” Her chin quivered as tears pooled in her eyes.

He drew her into an embrace, and she held him tightly, taking in his woodsy scent. She branded his voice and how it felt to have him hold her to her memory. She didn’t want to let him go.

She lost the battle with her tears and let her father comfort her in the cemetery with her mother. She felt her father rub her back.

After a few minutes, he pulled back a little and kissed her forehead. “We will see each other again, Ava.” His green eyes were sad, yet she could see pride in them. “Listen to the Elders. Do everything they say. Don’t worry about Peter and that mess. And please, no more running. You can do this. I’m proud of you and always have been.”

She nodded, wiping away her tears.

“Come on. It’s time.”

Her stomach clenched as they made their way back to Gabriel, Aaron, and Katarina. She took one last look at her mother’s grave. Ava would defeat Havok. This would be the end of him.