Needless to say, the rest of my night is uneasy. I have so many different scenarios running through my head that the only thing I’m doing is creating a constant loop of anxiety.
That Sadie and Jensen were at my mother’s funeral suggests that my father at least knew about them. But to what extent? Was he aware of who they really were and where they came from? Clearly, he looks close to Sadie in that photo.
But beyond that?
So many possibilities.
So many lies. So many secrets.
I decide to try and get more info from Jensen and Sadie before confronting him about it. I arrive at school and head into homeroom, where Jensen and Katie are already seated.
“Morning!” Katie says, as I sit next to her. “How are you?”
“Tired. I didn’t sleep very well last night.” I look at Jensen. “I had a lot on my mind.”
“Everything okay?” Jensen has his arms crossed against his chest.
“Well—”
“Okay, class, settle down.” Sadie stands from her desk.
I’m grateful I don’t have to answer Jensen at the moment.
“Today we’re going to do our first lab on the microscope.” She starts passing around papers. “I’ve already assigned you lab partners to work with this semester. You can look on the attached sheet.”
“Thanks.” I grab the papers.
She smiles at me before moving to the next row.
I scan the document for my lab partner. Genevieve DeWinter and Jensen Saint Clair.
“Oh, lucky,” Katie whispers. “Look who you’re with.”
“Yeah, I see that.” I throw a look to Jensen. “That’s convenient.”
After Sadie runs through the objectives with us, we head to the back of the room to the lab benches. I grab my binder, notebook, and the manila envelope with the photos in it.
“What’s wrong?” Jensen pulls the cover off the microscope. “Did something happen?”
“You mean, something more than everything you already told me yesterday?” I grab the box of slides from the drawer. “Amazingly, yes.” I pull the photos from the envelope and place them in front of him. “We need to focus the microscope first,” I say, loudly, as another student passes by, then slide the photos to Jensen and whisper, “Look at what I found last night.”
I watch as he flips through the photos, confusion emerging onto his face.
“What are these?”
“Switch the lens to the ten-times objective.” I play with the knobs on the microscope as I look around to make sure no one is listening to our conversation. “Photos from my mother’s funeral. Do you recognize anyone?”
“I don’t…I don’t remember this.” He stares at the picture of himself. “I was there?”
“Apparently so.” I place a slide into the holder. “I mean, we were eight, Jensen. I’m not surprised you can’t recall some random funeral from a decade ago.”
“That’s my father.” He points to one of the men carrying my mother’s casket. “So your dad knew about us?”
“I don’t know, Jensen!”
The students at the lab bench across the aisle look over at us.
“Um, I don’t know! Try the forty-times power.”
“Everything going all right, you two?” Sadie approaches the lab bench. “Have any questions?”
Jensen hands her the photos.
Her face pales. “Where did you get these?” She stares at the photo of herself.
“They were in our basement,” I say. “I was looking through my mother’s stuff last night when I got home, seeing if I could find anything more. So my dad did know about my mother?”
“Miss Hawthorne, where are the planaria?” A student says, from across the room.
“Over in the lab hood.” She motions to the back corner. “The cutting tools are there as well.” She looks back at the photos before setting them down. “Your father knew about the Formulists, yes.” She holds up a finger. “But only of their existence and your mother’s powers. He never visited Banewind. He never interacted with anyone else, and your mother never told him anymore than he needed to know.”
“Well, he interacted with you! And Jensen’s family.”
“Yes, he knew about us because we were your mother’s best friends. She never wanted him to know about Banewind or the Formulists. But when we had to bring her back to face the Void King, he found out about us. There was no way your mother could keep it from him anymore. Especially when she knew she might not return to you.”
“And we went to her funeral?” Jensen says.
Sadie nods. “After that, we left and never returned.”
“So my father knew my mother wasn’t killed in a car accident?” I shake my head. “He knows how she really died?”
“He didn’t tell you for good reason, Genevieve,” Sadie says.
I’m sure she can see the anger in my eyes.
“You were eight, and Danny was three. You weren’t old enough to even understand what was going on.”
“I can’t believe this.” I gasp.
“How’s it going, guys?” Katie approaches us, a smile spread across her face.
We stare at her like deer in headlights.
“Oh…uh, everything okay?” she says.
“Fine.” I place another slide onto the microscope. “Just peachy.”
“Okay…I’ll…let you get back to work.”
“Any issues, Miss Miller?” Sadie says, a false-hearted smile on her face. “Do you need my assistance?”
“No, we’re good.” She turns to head back to her lab bench. “Just saying hello.”
I know she’s still staring at me, but I don’t look back. I’m not sure I’d be able to keep from breaking down. And keeping this from Katie right now is hard enough as it is. She’s my best friend. We confide in each other with everything. This isn’t fair.
“Genevieve,” Sadie says. “I understand that all of this is a lot. I do. But you cannot blame your father. Or your mother, for that matter. Please.”
I let out an exasperated sigh. “I know.”
“Did you mention this to your father yet?” she says.
“No.” I shake my head. “I don’t…I don’t know what good that would do right now. It’s all too much.”
“Miss Hawthorne?” Another student raises her hand.
“We’ll talk more later.” Sadie looks at the microscope. “Make sure you’re documenting the correct magnification, please.” She walks away.
“I’m sorry,” Jensen says. “I wish I were more helpful, too. There’s obviously a lot I don’t know about.”
“It’s fine.” I put my eyes to the microscope lenses. “Let’s just get through this class.”
a
When lunch period rolls around, I find Jensen already in the cafeteria.
“Hey.” I sit next to him. “I want to know more about these Voidweavers.”
“Is this really the place?” He looks around the cafeteria. “Your friends are going to come eat with us, aren’t they?”
“Katie’s doing something with band recital, and Floyd’s with the robotics team again. Now’s the perfect time.”
“I see.” Jensen stares at his half-eaten cheeseburger. “You know, your food here really isn’t that good. I thought it would be a lot better.”
“No school’s food is edible, Jensen. Don’t avoid my question.”
“I’m not.” He laughs. “I was just making a statement.”
“The Voidweavers. Tell me.”
He sighs. “Banewind was ruled by several different families up until the last decade. One of the families ruled the sky. Another, the seas. And the last, the Banewind family, ruled the land of Banewind itself. Your mother, and the rest of the Holy Guardians, protected our society from any threat or destruction. They were thought to be descendants of the goddess Lura, the creator of holy magic. The Voidweavers were a group of zealots against everything that the ruling families stood for, with most of their hatred directed towards the Holy Guardians. Their leader was a man named Ganstin Remores, and it was he who became known as the Void King. He was a powerful, malevolent man. And with his insatiable thirst for destruction, the Voidweavers grew strong enough to destroy most of the land. Once they overpowered everyone and everything, they turned their sights onto the final thing holding it all together—the Banewind family. A war ensued against the Voidweavers, and it was your mother who dealt the final blow to the Void King. Both she and her mentor, Dorndrick Wolfshire, one of the best male paladins known to Banewind, led their army to victory. But by the time that battle happened, the Void King had already killed all the Banewind family. Once it was over, the people decided to end the monarchial system, letting it die out with the family’s memory. The Council of the Formulists, which consists of representatives from different regions of the land, was decided to be given rule, and thus the current democracy of Banewind was born.”
“But you said the Voidweavers are looking for me because they’re trying to revive the Void King. How is that possible if he’s dead?”
“You remember Sadie mentioning Mengurion Maldridge? The elderly mage who the Voidweavers captured?”
“Yeah.”
“He’s informed us that a woman known as the Dark Lady is leading them now. When your mother killed the Void King, she sealed him away. The Voidweavers believe that if they can find the same power used by your mother, they could return him to his former self. Since the time of the final battle, they have hunted down paladins and past Holy Guardians, trying to find someone who may have had your mother’s blood. They’ve killed almost all of them now—in vain, of course, because none of them had direct ties to her. And without that, the Void King remains imprisoned. We pleaded with the Council of the Formulists to do something to help us. My father is one of the members. But they were stubborn, unwilling to do so because you aren’t from Banewind. They said their resources could go to better use in the fight against the Voidweavers. My family and I shared our thoughts with Sadie and decided that she and I would have to be the ones to come here and protect you ourselves.”
“So this can all be put to an end if the Void King is destroyed for good?” I grab Jensen’s arm. “Then why don’t we do that? Let’s stop him.”
He shakes his head. “It isn’t that easy. We don’t know how to do that. Your mother locked him away, yes. But we don’t know anything more than that. We don’t even know how to find him, let alone what we would do to end him for good.”
“If I am a paladin,” I feel my heart quicken, “then maybe I can destroy him.”
“What? Genevieve, no—”
“You all said yourself that I would be the next Holy Guardian. It makes sense, Jensen.”
“In theory, sure. But that’s putting a lot at stake.”
“This entire situation is putting a lot at stake. If I can help prevent the Voidweavers’ success, then I want to do just that.” I feel my confidence growing. “I want to be like my mother.”
The warning bell for class rings.
“What do you think?” I stare at Jensen and can tell he’s deep in thought.
“It’s possible.” He looks at me and frowns. “But also very dangerous.”
“Well, we can discuss it more with Sadie this weekend. How about that?” I start packing up my bags. “Deal?”
He groans. “You’re very persistent.” A smile spreads across his face. “But deal.”
a
I’ve grown excited at the prospect that I could follow in my mother’s footsteps.
All my life, I have read fantasy books about good and evil, light and dark, right and wrong. From the first moments I could read, my mother had made sure I had a book in my hands, encouraging me to seek further knowledge in the fantastical. I reflect back and wonder now if she had been trying to prepare me for this, knowing that even with her hope she could separate herself from the magical world she was from, the chance that it could spill over into my life was always a possibility. Knowing that one day, I could face the same tribulations she was up against.
There’s so much I don’t yet understand. Who knows what even lies ahead.
The rest of the day passes by, and after finishing my homework I go to bed early, the exhaustion finally catching up to me. I’m able to avoid my dad, as he is busy working at the university, still not sure if I want to broach the subject of my mother with him yet. That can be a task for another day.
The next morning, Katie picks me up for school.
“Hey,” she says, when I get into her car. “I didn’t hear much from you yesterday. Is everything okay?”
“Hey, yeah, it’s fine.”
Guilt washes over me as I continue to keep my best friend out of the important updates of my life. I can tell she knows something is up.
“You excited for our dates tonight?” I say.
Her face brightens. “Yes! I can’t wait.” She giggles. “I haven’t been to the movies all summer. Floyd texted me and said he’d like to see the new Macbeth. You okay with that?”
“Absolutely.” I smile. “That’s in the top three of my favorite Shakespeare plays.”
“Oh, I know.” She grins. “Remember when we made that ridiculous movie freshman year? We re-adapted the entire thing, using only rhyming couplets.”
“Hey, I was very proud of that script I wrote.” I laugh. “It’s done! It’s done! Duncan is dead!”
“Calm down, fool. Get ahold of your head!” Katie recites back, mimicking Lady Macbeth.
Our laughter fills the car as we approach the school.
a
I hear the car horn honk just as I finish curling my hair.
“Have fun on your date, Vee,” Danny says, as I throw on my cream cardigan.
My dad looks up from his work at the kitchen table and stares at me over the top of his glasses.
“You have a date tonight?” The surprise in his voice is obvious. “Who is he?”
“Just some new guy from school.”
I tease my hair one more time while I’m next to the mirror in the foyer. I’m still trying to avoid any prolonged conversations with him.
“We’re showing him around. You know, trying to make him feel welcome.”
“Yeah, in a dark movie theater.” Danny giggles. “Try not to get mono.”
“Do you even know what mono is?” My father laughs as he stands from his chair, and comes over to pull me to his chest.
“Dad! My hair.” I try to resist his hug.
Only after I return the embrace does he let his arms drop.
“You be safe tonight, Jeannie.” He gives my forehead a peck. “And don’t get pressured into doing anything you aren’t comfortable with. Remember, it’s okay to say no.”
“Dad…” I feel my face flush red with embarrassment. “It isn’t like that. Trust me.”
“Well, if things do go that way, remember to use protection, okay?”
“Oh, my God!” I cover my ears. “This conversation isn’t happening. Goodbye.”
I slam the front door shut, but can still hear Danny cracking up.
“He’s so immature.” I scoff.
The horn honks again.
“I’m coming!” I run down the driveway and can see Katie waving at me through the windshield.
“You look hot.” She chuckles as I settle into passenger seat. “You’re really trying to impress him, huh?”
“Oh, stop it.” I bite my lip, attempting to hide my smile. “I mean, it’s not that obvious, is it?”
Katie laughs. “Aww. It’s so cute that you have a crush.”
“Well, what about you?” I point to the hoop earrings she wears. “I don’t even remember the last time I’ve seen you with jewelry.”
“Is it too much?” Her words are coated with worry as she looks into the rearview mirror. “Should I take them out?”
“No, you look beautiful. Trust me. Floyd won’t know what hit him.”
a
“Remind me again why we come to this place?” Katie groans as we walk into the mall.
Droves of people are flooding the entryway.
“Because it’s the only decent movie theater we have around here,” I reply. “Unless you want to drive thirty minutes into Westlake.”
Katies grimaces. “Ugh, I’m sure it’s ten times worse there.” She looks at her watch. “We’re a little early. You want to look around at some stores? I was hoping to find a cute dress to wear to Homecoming.” She glances over the posed mannequins in the display windows. “I’m hoping Floyd will want to go with me.”
“Of course he will. You’ve gone with him, what, the last two years?” I giggle. “You really should just be dating already.”
“Genevieve, look!” She gasps as she grabs a hold of my arm. “It’s gorgeous.”
“It looks expensive.” I’m eyeing the Versace navy blue dress.
“Oh, I have to try it on.” She runs to the store’s entrance. “You coming?”
“Why don’t I go wait by the theater in case anyone shows up?” I wave her into the store. “You go on ahead. I’ll tell Floyd you’re getting something pretty for him.”
“Cut it out.” She laughs. “Text me when the boys show up.”
I find the escalator and take it down to the lower level, where the movie theater is located. The food court is nearby, and there are several novelty stores scattered around the perimeter, but it’s less crowded than the rest of the mall. Since there is almost no line outside the box office yet, I decide to look around while I countdown the minutes until I see Jensen.
As I’m browsing through the various selections of sunglasses at a nearby kiosk, I notice there’s a new store I’m not familiar with. The display windows are tinted red and fogged over so I can’t see into them, and there’s no sign to identify what the shop even is. A maroon sheet hangs over the door alcove, with little light creeping out from beneath it.
I grab the sheet and pull it to the side, poking my head into the alcove to see if anyone is there. For some reason, my heart’s beating faster, and I feel like I’m doing something wrong.
“Hello?” I look around the shop.
The wallpaper is a deep purple, and there are several hanging lights draped with red veils, causing an eerie glow to illuminate the room. There are jewels and wind chimes dangling from the ceiling, and their melodic clinking creates a soothing ambience, which fades into haunting echoes. In the middle of the room is a small table with a lit candelabrum, and behind it sits a figure with a black veil concealing its face.
“Oh!” I say.
The figure doesn’t move.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bother you.” I draw back the sheet.
“Nonsense, child. You aren’t disturbing me.”
Sounds like a woman’s voice.
“Please, come in.”
I hesitate. This seems like a bad idea.
“I’ll stop by another time.” I back out of the doorway. “Thank you, though.”
“There won’t be another time, Genevieve.”
My shoulders tense. “You know who I am?” I try not to show my fright. “Are you…”
“A Formulist? More or less.” She chuckles.
Jensen should really be here with you.
“Don’t worry. You’re safe without Mister Saint Clair. Oh, don’t look so surprised.” She motions to the chair across from her. “Now please, have a seat.”
Part of me wants to run. There’s no way to tell if this woman can be trusted, and it would be better to just get out of there. Yet I have a feeling she’s on my side. I can’t explain why, but my intuition is directing me to talk with her. So I approach the chair and sit.
“Excellent,” the woman says, as I scoot the chair towards the table. “You had the courage to come in and sit down with me—a crucial step which forms the cornerstone of our relationship.” She folds her hands in front of her. “Next, we must build up trust.”
“Who are you?” I whisper.
“My name is Ilona.” Her voice sounds distant and carries an echo, as if it traveled miles through a cave to reach my ears. “And you, my dear, are Genevieve DeWinter.”
She pulls the long sleeves back on her maroon robe. The black gloves she wears travel to her elbows.
“It is an honor to meet you,” she says.
“I’m not sure about that.”
Ilona’s laugh reverberates around the room.
“In time, you’ll see. But you must be patient.”
“What do you want with me?” I start to feel nervous again.
“I want to guide you, Genevieve. Your future is not an easy one.”
I can’t tell, but I think she’s looking at me.
“Genevieve, a war will soon dawn upon the horizon, and you are going to be an essential key to its inevitable arrival.”
My heart is racing. “A war? Between who?”
“Everyone.”
I wait for her to say more, but she sits in silence.
“Why, then?”
She shakes her head. “You are not ready for that answer.”
I huff in frustration. “Well, what question should I ask? What’s the point of you trying to help me if you aren’t going to reveal anything?”
“I am not here to reveal. I told you, I am merely here to guide you.”
“Right.” I lean back in the chair and fold my arms. “Okay, so then what can you help me with?”
Ilona stands from her chair and glides to the back of the store. On a shelf sits a small porcelain bowl and a purple pitcher that she picks up and brings to the table. She sets them next to the candelabrum as she returns to her seat.
“I have something for you.” She picks up the pitcher and pours its contents into the bowl.
Once it is full, she pushes it towards me. My face is reflected in the silver liquid’s pool.
“I want you to imagine your mother.” She waves her hand over the bowl. “Think of the memories you have with her. Picture her face. Feel her presence.”
At the mention of my mother, I feel the familiarity of a large lump forming in my throat. Even after all this time, any memory stirred unravels a myriad of emotions.
I stare into the bowl and watch as my mother emerges below the surface. She’s standing there, wearing the same white cloak from the picture I saw her in at Sadie’s house. The image is replaced by her kneeling on a picnic blanket, with me by her side. She holds a bubble wand with one hand, tears in her eyes from laughing as I see my toddler self, clapping at the air as I try to snatch the floating spheres. They disappear with a small pop! and I gasp, then let out a high-pitched giggle. She picks me up and swings me around in the air.
“Genevieve.” I hear her voice in my head. Soothing and calm, gentle and warm. “Genevieve, my sweet girl.”
The scene morphs as suddenly as it appeared. I see my mother’s face, bruised and beaten. Her blonde hair is stuck to her forehead, caked with blood. She staggers across a black marble floor, the ground jagged and cracked. She’s draped in silver armor, with shoulder pauldrons shaped like owls with sapphires set in their eye sockets. She extends her hands, wrapped around a dazzling metal hammer radiating with golden hues and bright light as if she had taken the weapon from the Norse god Thor himself.
“I will not let you win,” I hear my mother’s words, her voice raspy and broken. “The Void King will not succeed, and his memory will fade into nothing…even if I have to give my life to make sure it is so.”
Black shadows cloud the memory until bright amethyst eyes stare back at me, obscured by the darkness. They are terrifying and piercing, like shattered glass cutting through flesh.
“See me,” a booming, male voice echoes through my skull. “See me and know I am always watching. I have always been watching. And I will always be watching.”
A shriek fractures my ears, and the image burns into my mind. My heart pounds and my breathing grows shallow as an impending sense of dread fills my core. The outline of a towering male warrior emerges. His purple eyes still glow fervently through the shadows. A black cape flows down his back, with pauldrons shaped like giant skulls resting on each shoulder.
“See me now. See me, Genevieve!”
“What’s happening!” I scream, but can’t hear my own words.
A myriad of images explode across my vision as I watch in horror as wolf-like creatures snarl and snap, their mouths foaming. They morph into a dragon spewing black rays from its mouth, casting them over a vast lighthouse with a purple beacon projecting through the air. And then I’m screaming, falling into a darkened abyss. When I hit the ground, I see a blackened hand flail to grab me. As I cry out, the image evaporates and is replaced by a large bird skull and those same amethyst eyes burning behind the eye sockets.
And then there is stillness, and all goes quiet.
The image fades from my mind, and I am again staring at the bowl on the table in front of me. The silver liquid swirls into a small vortex, splashing against the porcelain like rough waves. When it settles, there is a coin-like object resting at the bottom.
“What…what just happened.” I sit there, attempting to catch my breath.
Ilona sits behind the table, her calm demeanor jarring after the experience I just endured.
“Memories,” she whispers. “Past, present, future. The scrying bowl shows you what it wants you to see.” She motions to the object in the bowl. “Go ahead. Pick it up. It’s all right.”
I waver before touching my fingertips to the water. The cool liquid caresses my skin, and I can feel something more to it, like a surge of electricity. I grab the object from the bowl and hold it up in front of my face, straining to see it in the dim light.
“What is it?” I turn the object in my fingers.
One side of it is coated in silver, with the image of an eye on it. The eyelashes look like long, slender icicles, and the eyebrow above it resembles a rising flame. Along the perimeter of the coin are eight small circles, and the backside of it is black.
“It is the Formulists’ insignia,” Ilona says. “The eye represents the school of psychic magic. The flaming brow for fire, and the eyelashes signify ice.”
“What are the circles for?”
“Shadow mages. The silver side symbolizes the holy magic of Lura, whereas the black backing represents the dark magic of Ic’thyl. Essentially, it is the core of the Formulists’ existence. The Blazing Vision.”
“Why are you giving it to me?” I run my finger over the raised etching.
“To remind you of your destiny. This talisman once belonged to your mother. And now it shall belong to you.”
“Genevieve!”
I hear my name shouted from outside the store, and flinch in my chair as I realize it is Jensen’s voice.
“I’m afraid that’s all the time we have together. For now, anyway.” Ilona waves her hand over the bowl, and the silver light dies away, returning the liquid to a dark abyss. “You must go now. Mister Saint Clair is waiting for you.”
I stand from the chair, keeping my gaze on Ilona as I rise.
“What do you want from me?”
Ilona laughs. “In time, you will see.” She extends her hand towards the exit.
I slip the talisman into my jean pocket and head for the door.
“Genevieve?” she calls, as I’m about to step through the alcove.
I turn around to face her once more.
“Be safe.”
I nod. “Thank you,” I whisper.
I step out the door and back inside the bustling mall.
“There you are.” Jensen darts over to me with a smile spread wide across his face, but his eyes are filled with concern. “Katie said you left to wait by the theater quite a bit ago.” He frowns. “I was getting worried about you.”
“Sorry. I got distracted doing something.”
“Oh?” Jensen raises his eyebrows. “And what might that have been?”
“I went into that store over there and—” I turn to point at Ilona’s shop.
What had just been decorated with fogged windows, red sheets, and tinted lights, now lay barren. Propped up on the window’s ledge is a large sign with bold letters that reads, FOR LEASE. PLEASE CALL FOR INQUIRIES.
“I don’t understand.” I approach the window to peer inside.
There is nothing but a dark, vacant room.
“Where did she go?”
I hear Jensen approach behind me. “We’re going to be late for the movie.”
I turn towards him, and he flashes a pair of tickets.
“Katie and Floyd are already at their seats.”
“Yeah, okay.” I glance back at the empty shop one last time. “Let’s go.”
As I walk next to Jensen, I realize I’m still trembling, shaken by what I’ve just experienced. I build up enough confidence to slip my hand into his, attempting to feel more secure. His fingers lock with mine, and fireworks explode inside my body.
“I hope this is a good movie,” Jensen says, as we’re about to enter the theater. “I’ve never really been a fan of Shakespeare. There’s too much doom and gloom.”
“You know Shakespeare?”
I’m surprised he’d be familiar with something outside of Banewind.
He laughs. “Hey, just because I’m from another world doesn’t mean they don’t educate us properly.” He smiles. “I studied at our academy, which is one of the most prestigious institutes children can learn from in Banewind. Spent ten years of my life there.”
“And they teach you Shakespeare?” I grin. “Even in another world, he’s a cornerstone to literature, huh?”
Jensen laughs again. “He’s up there, that’s for sure.”
He hands the tickets to the usher, who rips them in half and gives us each a piece. As I stuff the stub into my jean pocket, I feel a cold metal object touch the back of my hand.
The Blazing Vision. I recall the words Ilona spoke as I grasp the talisman. See, Genevieve? You aren’t crazy.
The two of us enter the dark theater.