Appointed Page 19

  “Some, but not all of it.”

  “Stuff happens. We have emotions. I’m sorry you’ve been feeling so angry and lost to the point where you had to do it. I know you don’t want to talk about things much, but I feel like I could be doing a better job at listening when you do,” Anj said.

  Zes shrugged. “Not much to say anyway. Just a lot of small details that add up to the whole of the experiences I’ve had. Something tells me you don’t want to know that much about me. It’s kind of TMI. It’d either be gory or inappropriate.”

  “If it’ll make you feel better about life, I will listen to anything you have to say. This is our last semester together. We should be happy.”

  “This might come as a shock to you, but I feel great about life.” And Zes meant it.

  Mr. Thantos and one of the doctors were ahead of them in the hall. “Looks like we’re busted.”

  Anj brought a hand to his forehead dramatically. “It was good while it lasted. Just make sure you come find me again.”

  “You got it.” Zes gave his brother a pat on the back and walked him over to the teachers. “He’s all yours.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  “It’s time, Ilo,” Neil said.

  “You’re making a mistake, tapping him so young,” Anj’s father said.

  Neil shook his head. “He needs to grow into his powers. The Fates inside of him must be awakened.”

  They were in the throne room of the Elders. Only Neil and Ilo were present, however. The room seemed dark and dangerous. Anj was not picking up good vibes from it. Something about the place was wrong.

  Anj watched the exchange. He was having another daydream. After the doctors had caught up with him, they’d put him into the hospital wing so he could recover fully, while Mr. Thantos worked on removing and fixing the wards on the bedroom so Zes could enter. Anj didn’t have to stay completely in bed, so that was a plus, but there were still tests the doctors had to wait for results on. Although Anj didn’t want to admit it, he did feel a little tired. The walk had been a good stretch for his muscles, but he wasn’t back to normal yet.

  The daydream had begun shortly after he got back into bed. As soon as the doctors left him alone to rest, it had started.

  ****

  Ilo growled. “Why? What do you need him for? I know you have some kind of agenda.”

  Neil breathed. “What I am doing with the rest of the Divine is not your concern. As the head Elder, it is my job to make decisions based on what’s best for our kind. And that is all I am doing now.”

  “You know I don’t agree with this, and as his father, I’m going to do everything I can to stop this from happening.”

  “I do, and I was anticipating this reaction. Hoping for it even,” Neil said, and with a snap of his fingers, the doors to the throne room opened. Demons entered, the black-shadow kind with disfigured features. Anj shuddered.

  Neil pointed to Ilo. “Give me his spirit.”

  Anj’s father didn’t flinch with fear, let alone bat an eyelash. “I’ll make sure he knows the truth. That you’re a traitor making bargains with the Devil, and the truth behind your stupid rules.”

  “I’m sure you will, but by the time you do, it’ll be too late.”

  The demons rushed his father. Ilo fought them off for a few minutes, punching, kicking, lashing out, and using what little magic he had to defend himself. But one quick slash to the abdomen was all it took for the demons to bring him down. One grabbed Anj’s father by the hair, lifting him up from the ground. Another reached inside of his chest and pulled out a pale blue, glowing ball of light.

  “Your desire,” the demon said, and gave it to Neil.

  He held the ball of light, mesmerized. “Take care of the body and then bring me the boy. He’s in the castle garden.”

  ****

  “I remember that,” Anj whispered, and laughed sourly.

  “Remember what?” Jewl asked.

  He jumped, startled, because he had thought he was alone. She must have sneaked into the room while he was engrossed in his vision. “You remember when my father died, the same day I had disappeared seemingly from existence?”

  “Yes.” She grabbed his hand.

  “I just learned why. The Elders, they brought me to this castle and told me to enjoy its beauty. I could see, and it was the first time I’d ever experienced colors, light, shiny things, the works. It was overwhelming but wonderful. I lay on the floor and stared up at the most amazing murals painted on its ceilings, and they invited me to a garden. There were a lot of wonderful things. They came to get me and said they had a gift for me, a small ball of light that I absorbed inside of me and…” He swallowed. “It was my father. They gave me my father’s spirit. And I had no clue. I didn’t realize anything bad had happened to him until I came home and found out he was gone.”

  She squeezed his hand. “I take it you just saw all of this? You were kind of glazed over.”

  “Yeah,” he whispered. “I should nap, but I’m not looking forward to going to sleep. What are you doing here?”

  “Seeing my hot boyfriend, what else?” Jewl snorted as she climbed into the bed with him. “Tell you what, you take your nap, and then if you have any bad dreams or premonitions, I’ll be here when you wake up.”

  “Watching me sleep is a little creepy,” he teased.

  “I did it for two days. It’s kind of nice to just be able to look at you and not have you gabbing at me all of the time.”

  “Now I understand. You just like me for my amazing body and not my brain. I have never felt more used before in my life.” He laid the sarcasm on thick.

  She kissed his forehead. “Sometimes when you don’t talk, it means you’re using your brain more. I love every ounce of you.”

  Shifting his position so his head was on her shoulder, he closed his eyes and yawned. “Promise you’ll stay?”

  “There’s nowhere else I want to be.”

  ****

  Falling asleep didn’t take long for Anj to do. His body had a lot more healing to do. With the promise of Jewl being there the whole time, he was able to rest with ease. That was especially important because he had another visit with the Elders to make, and just as he’d predicted, the visit began as soon as he closed his eyes to sleep.

  “You’re looking well. We heard about your curious condition,” Neil said.

  Anj stared up at him. For whatever reason, Neil seemed higher up on his throne than usual, a lot more condescending and dark. Or maybe that was only because of the new perspective Anj had of the man. He no longer saw a mentor but a murderer. And he had to guard his thoughts in case Neil caught on. It wouldn’t be in Anj’s best interests to let the Elders know he knew the truth about his father’s death.

  “Is everything all right?” Kale asked with genuine concern.

  “Yes,” Anj said. “I’m just trying to regain my bearings. Feeling kind of out of it.”

  Francis smiled gently. “We’ll be fast then.”

  “We wanted to hear your final word on whom your confidante is,” Neil said.

  Anj stared up at him, determined to stand his ground. “My answer is still the same. It’s her.”

  With a shake of his head, Neil leaned back in his chair. He moved a hand over his face to mask whatever emotion he was feeling, though Anj doubted he’d have been able to figure it out anyway.

  “Are you sure? You do understand the consequences, right?” Neil said. “You will lose your brother. Forever. It is almost certain.”

  Anj nodded. “Almost certain but not one hundred percent. There’s still a chance. Besides, maybe I will just tell him too. Why can’t I say—”

  “Because I said so, and those are the rules, and if you do say anything to him? I’ll make sure his life is even more miserable than it already is,” Neil snapped.

  “Well, I think your rule of only being able to tell one person is stupid,” Anj snapped back. The dream he’d had about his father confirmed it. All the rules were a power tac
tic. “But I’ll respect your wishes.” For now. “I’m not telling him, and I’ll find a way to save him.”

  Kale closed his eyes. “The only outcome I’ve seen where your brother lives is one where you die. He’s doomed to fall further under the spell the mistress of the underworld has cast over him. It started in the elevator. You were supposed to keep him away from there, and it will end in the pool for one of you. I wish there was another way.”

  “I’m not giving up on him, and I’m keeping Jewl in my life. Because if I pick him, I’m guessing there aren’t any outcomes where Jewl and I get to stay together if I don’t tell her,” Anj said, briefly glancing at Neil before returning his gaze to Kale.

  “There are things I’ve seen where you do, but probably not in the way you want to be. Your secrecy causes her to get desperate, and she uses her magic on you, her Divine magic from Aphrodite. The purpose is to bewitch you into telling her everything, and you become her emotional love slave and eventually a physical one. Guilt drives you apart, and she never learns the truth,” Kale said. “You will recover, find love again—”

  “But it’s not the same. I’d be content but always thinking and wondering about her if I let her get away. And I don’t believe you. Jewl would never use her magic on me, ever. It terrifies her.” Anj folded his arms across his chest. “Nothing you say is going to change my mind.”

  Neil grumbled, and Anj caught what he thought was fear in his eyes, but he didn’t understand why.

  “So be it then,” Neil said. “By the end of next year, either you or your brother will be dead. I hope you’re prepared to deal with that.”

  Anj smirked. “There won’t be anything to deal with because we’ll both come out of it just fine.”

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Zes was actually happy when he entered Dr. Warhol’s office. Their session proceeded to be a good one, and he felt like life was getting back on track to where he wanted it to be.

  He leaned forward on the couch, talking animatedly.

  “I called my mom about going to the city for school, and she didn’t give me a hard time about it at all. I was surprised, because I was almost positive she was going to guilt me into sticking around here for college so I could look after Anj and her,” he explained. “It’s great. I’m giving the school a call after I get done here, so I can confirm my acceptance and get the ball rolling on scheduling.”

  “This makes me so happy to hear. I was wondering how long it would take for you to branch out on your own and start living. And I’m glad you got there on your own. I think going to the city and getting away is going to be great for you, especially given all of the recent events.” Dr. Warhol jotted a few notes into her book.

  Zes bit down on his lower lip. “What happened to my brother is what makes me the most worried about going. We don’t even know what happened, and what if something goes wrong while I’m gone?”

  “Could you stop it if you were here?”

  “No.”

  “Then why hold back because of a what-if that you won’t be able to help?”

  “Right.” He nodded. “We depend on each other a lot. Being away is going to be hard, but part of what’s been keeping me going right now is the idea that there is more for me out there. Something better is waiting. I know it, and I can tell it’s big. Have you ever had that feeling before?”

  “I have, and it is exciting,” she agreed. “And the breakup? You’re handling it okay? You kind of got hit with a lot at once this year. The things from the underworld, losing Cheyenne, and your brother’s strange illness. I was concerned you’d be distraught and maybe have a breakdown, especially since she was one of your confidantes.”

  At the mention of Cheyenne, Zes couldn’t help but roll his eyes. “For a few days I was pretty upset. I still am, but it’s different. Not so much blind, pure rage? It’ll take a while for me to stop being mad at her. Cheating is low and cowardly, and I thought she was better than that, but then again, I also thought she was better than Denver. Maybe they’re more perfect for each other than I realized.”

  All Dr. Warhol did was nod. Usually she had more commentary to offer, and he took her silence as a sign to keep talking.

  “I told her I’d try and be friends with her. Part of me thinks it’s a little soon, but I don’t like giving her the cold shoulder. She knows a lot about me, and it’s hard to let go of that connection. At the same time—”

  “You don’t trust her anymore.”

  “Not to be honest with me, but I’m sure she’ll keep my secrets. It’s hard to be honest with someone who isn’t honest with you, though. So we’ll see what happens. At least I can say I’m the bigger person, right?”

  Dr. Warhol put her pencil down and met Zes’s gaze with her own. “Just don’t let her take advantage of your kindness.”

  “I won’t,” he said.

  “You’re a good man to be able to forgive such a horrible wrong.” She smiled. “I think that’s it for this session. Unless there’s anything else you want to say?”

  “Only thank you.” And he meant it.

  “You’re welcome, and I’m eager to see you go off and help others as well. Because in that regard, we are a lot alike. That is where our joy comes from.”

  She was right, and it was strange how easily she could read him. Sure, she could read his mind, but there was something else to it. Not only did she know what was going on inside of his head, but she also understood why he felt that way. It made his decisions even more solid. He was making the right one.

  Zes stood from the couch and offered his hand for a shake. “And if I ever need to talk with you again, I won’t hesitate. I remember.”

  “That applies even after you leave,” she said. “Because while I’m sure the university has a counselor on campus, I doubt they’ll be able to talk about magic-related things.”

  “Thanks,” he said, and took his leave, walking with an extra bounce in his step. Now all he had to do was go and collect his brother and head back to the dorm so they could kick off their weekend plans.

  Anj was in his World History class, taught by Mr. Thantos. It was the last required course his brother had to take to graduate. His love of the subject put him ahead of the rest of the grade, but instead of testing out of it, Anj had to go back and take the introductory course despite it being a sophomore-level class. Cheyenne had the class with him. Zes had been lucky enough to not be in the one class he could have shared with her that semester.

  Taking a deep breath, he stood outside the door to Mr. Thantos’s classroom and waited, doing his best to stay casual. A petite girl with red hair bumped into him on her way out.

  She glanced up at him and blushed. “Hi, Zes.”

  The fact that she didn’t get him confused with Anj was a plus. If only he could put a face to the name. It took him a moment, but then it came to him. “Hi, Noel.” He smiled softly and a little shyly. Anj is right, she is cute.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to run into you.”

  “It’s not a problem. There a fire or something?” he teased, trying to summon up some of the charm he hoped he shared with his brother. Mostly, he wanted to be polite, but he also wanted to open himself up to the idea of feeling again. Even if nothing came of it, Anj had been right about one thing: it was nice to be noticed. And Zes could tell the girls were noticing him in a new way.

  “Just excited for the weekend!” she said.

  “Big plans?”

  “Not outside of homework.” She gazed up at him with wide, glittering, olive eyes, and he could tell she was maybe hoping for something. Was he supposed to ask her out?

  Shifting slightly, he ran a hand through his hair to hide his nerves. Don’t think I’m quite ready for that. “Me either.” He noticed her frown a little. Most of the girls he’d been interested in were not quite so forward or obvious.

  Shifting again, he added, “But if you want a break or a study buddy, I’d be more than happy to help. You could join us for lunch or something?” Why
couldn’t he be good at this like Anj?

  Noel winked at him. “You can count on it. How’s that?”

  “Yeah,” he said, relieved because that seemed as good a sign as any that he hadn’t completely botched things. Maybe he wasn’t ready for a new relationship, but he didn’t want to shoot himself in the foot either. When he was ready, he wanted to have a possibility again.

  “And you can count on me calling you later when I figure out what I need help with.”

  “Great.” He tried to keep his smile confident and not so shy. Girls were terrifying sometimes.

  “See you soon.” She blew him a kiss, and he couldn’t help but stare at her as she walked away. For being petite, she sure was curvy. And she definitely knew how to work what she was given.

  A soft cough startled Zes out of his trance, and he noticed Anj had settled in next to him.

  “Don’t scare me,” Zes said.

  “I didn’t want to interrupt your conversation with Noel,” Anj replied.

  “It wouldn’t have been a big deal.”

  “Told you she was cute,” Anj continued. “And I’m serious about the cheesecake smell.”

  “Didn’t get close enough to notice.”

  “Yet.”

  Zes snickered. “Yet. Old Union tonight? Get out and do something?”

  “Definitely. I’ll get everyone organized, and you focus on looking amazing. Which I know you can do, because we’re identical and I can certainly pull it off.”

  “I have a funny feeling you’re up to something,” he teased, nudging Anj as they walked through the hallway back to their dorm.

  “Who, me?” Anj could have produced a halo, his smile was so innocent.

  With a sigh, Zes wrapped an arm around his brother’s shoulders. “What would I do without you?”

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