i was silenced by the truth of kiran's words and he knew it. he let go of my wrists and pushed me toward avalon, who was waiting with an amused smile and readied hands, his long hair pulled into a knot at the nape of his neck.

this time when i reached for avalon's hands i remembered kiran's words. i remembered the lives that were counting on me and that i was not the first to be asked to accomplish this task. if avalon could do it, so could i. if sebastian could do it, then i definitely could. i straightened my back and squared my shoulders and then found the place in my consciousness that was shared with avalon.

with confidence and determination i pulled the stubborn magic and demanded a response. this time i was not met with nothing; there was not even a wall to keep me from receiving what was mine. this time when i pulled, my magic came with me.

it flowed slowly at first. reclaiming my magic became exhausting, tenuous work that tested my internal strength more than any other task in my entire life. i stayed focused and determined however, and eventually found the half-way point. after that it was smooth sailing and soon my blood popped and sizzled with the boiling electricity that gave me a complete life.

the transformation inside of me felt incredible. i possessed energy and strength again. my magic surged inside of me, elated to be home. it joined with the blue smoke and i could feel all of the stolen magics and amory's magic mixed with my original electricity, all working in unison to fuel my immortality.

but best of all was the open connection between avalon and me. i could feel him again, i could breathe with him. i would know that he was all right and we would be able to speak to each other freely. even if our magic was more at risk now than ever, at least we had each other through this. and at least the prisoner's would be saved from tomorrow's wrath.

everyone congratulated us after we finished the job. but somehow that bothered me. i watched kiran shake avalon's hand in friendly reunion and stiffened with irritation. they stood talking quietly together in private whispers and with serious glances and i decided i should know what was going on.

i thought you were going to bring the little one? avalon asked kiran who shook his head and glanced at lilly's mom.

there was a change of plans. he answered. he's next on my list though, the next time-

avalon cut kiran off with a shake of his head and a look in my direction before smiling at me from across the distance. i felt the wall between our thoughts raised and bristled at the idea of being shut out of something.

"wow, you're amazing," jericho was next to me, pulling my attention from kiran and avalon's secret affairs.

"me? no way, it was more work for avalon than it was for me," i smiled, not knowing if that was the complete truth, but from experience i understood how much work it was for him.

"so, i suppose we have to part ways again...." jericho trailed off and i felt the question in his words.

"if i went with you tonight, all those people.... lucan would murder all of those...." i couldn't finish a sentence, realizing i would have to make the choice between my own happiness and the good of my people again tonight and now with the full arsenal of my magic back in my possession, every night from here on out.

i leaned into jericho, breathing him in and cherishing the few moments we still had together. i wanted to cry, to mourn this goodbye again, but i couldn't. i was too intoxicated with the fresh magic to let sorrow consume me and so i stayed simply in jericho's embrace. i let him wrap his arms tightly around me, our magics locking together in a bond of unbreakable union.

"do you think i'll get to see you again?" i mumbled into his chest, my heart breaking at the thought that this would be the last time we touched.

"yes, i do," he insisted, pulling away to look directly in my eyes. "actually, i believe it more now than ever. you have your magic now, lucan can't hurt you. and we are working daily to bring the rebellion together, and unite the kingdom. lucan is worried, and hiding in fear of us behind the citadel walls. it's only a matter of time before you and i are together again. only a few more hours, i promise." his voice was thick and gravelly as he whispered into my hair the truth that i would cling to until his promise was fulfilled.

"that is all i need to hear," i smiled, thinking of my impending wedding date, but refusing to give jericho a deadline. in the event of a war, it would not matter if i was married or not. when we took over the kingdom, i would choose who i wanted to be with, and not let my future be decided by some exiled king that i was determined to kill at the end of this anyway.

"you better go say goodbye to your brother, he's kind of lost without you," jericho pulled away and i knew he was right. there were others i wanted to say goodbye to and we needed to leave soon. "i love you, eden, i always will."

"i love you too, jericho." i leaned on my tiptoes and kissed him on the lips again. "remember that. remember that i love you."

i reluctantly let go of his hands and walked over to avalon who was still in deep conversation with kiran. they had been watching me, whispering whatever secrets the two of them shared, but watching me all the same. kiran looked at me for a moment, with that look back on his face; his eyes were dark and his face a mask of tumultuous emotion. even with my magic, i still couldn't recognize the expression. i smiled at avalon, avoiding kiran's gaze and he stopped talking in mid-sentence and left the two of us alone.

"so you're what? you're friends now?" i accused avalon, expecting him to deny it.

"listen, the guy took care of me, ok. i kind of owe him my life," avalon confessed, the sincerity behind his voice making my stomach churn.

"are you kidding me?" i crossed my arms defiantly, "you owe me your life! or did you forget who broke into an indian palace to save you? or who healed you with my magical blue smoke? or did you fail to remember that i am the one who made him promise to take care of you?"

"geez, you're kind of crazy tonight, you know that?" avalon crossed his arms too, irritated with my irrational behavior.

"ugh!" i grunted, frustrated that i had to explain myself to my own brother. "it's just, i mean, i feel like you forgot that he's the enemy. he's the one that got you captured in the first place, remember? he's the reason amory is dead! you should want him dead as much as i do."

"eden, trust me, i want to see the end of the monarchy more than anyone else, but he is kind of taking care of my sister right now. he did just help rescue lilly's mom and he has promised to-"

"eden, it's time to go!" kiran interrupted avalon from across the clearing, shouting much louder than i thought was necessary.

i love you, be safe. i instructed using our telepathic connection. i leaned into avalon, and he wrapped his strong arms around me. the best part of tonight was that i wasn't really saying goodbye to my brother; we would always be able to communicate with each other and i knew then that my captivity would not be so hopeless.

i love you too. he reciprocated, letting me go. hey, just try listening to kiran every once in a while. i'm not asking you to like the guy, but it might do you some good.

"i feel like you've been abducted by aliens!" i mocked avalon out loud, seriously wondering if kiran performed some kind of mind control thing on him while he was imprisoned, but he just waved me off.

i hugged lilly quickly, while kiran, talbott and sebastian waited very impatiently for me to join them. tears fell down her alabaster cheeks and more words were communicated between us in the silence than could ever be spoken aloud. and then i waved goodbye to everyone, rejoining my captors by choice and parting ways with all those that i loved.

again.

we walked in silence back to the castle. the night had been long and we hurried to make our dawn deadline in anxious contemplation. things weren't hopeless now that i commanded my magic. my life's blood might be in more danger than ever, but i wasn't helpless to fight or to stand up for myself. i was determined to save the prisoner's and somehow i knew i would escape lucan and his oppression.

chapter five

"let me handle this," i snarled, approaching lucan's den in a part of the castle i had never been before. kiran explained how his father ritually spent his early mornings in his den, surrounded by guards, but otherwise alone. i rested in kiran's confidence and familiar knowledge of his father. i followed avalon's advice and trusted him, although i didn't have another choice.

"eden, please be careful!" sebastian begged.

anger and disgust radiated off me in waves of electricity rolling forcefully through the long hallway. i shuddered with hatred, convincing myself this was not the right time to attack the king, but falling short of inner sincerity. with my magic fully intact, and my connection to avalon restored, i felt more powerful than ever. the determination to destroy the royal family reached a fevered-pitch and i could hardly control my vengeful magic, nor did i want to.

"yes, please be careful!" talbott piped up anxiously. "he will not hesitate to lock you up, eden, so if you like this freedom than you'd better try to be respectful."

"what freedom?" i mumbled.

i found talbott's warning completely obnoxious. his threat of imprisonment only fueled my restored, angry magic, so when i finally reached the doors to the den, i threw them open with boiling energy, sending them off their hinges and splintering the ancient wood. lucan looked up from a steaming cup only slightly surprised. he sat at the back end of a long room, a fireplace blazing with life to his right and the rest of the wall space lined with floor-to-ceiling bookcases laden with all variety of reading material.

he raised a porcelain coffee cup carefully to his mouth and took a long drink, glaring at me with his icy blue eyes. his stare did not stay long and when he looked back down to a pile of official paperwork scattered across a sturdy, oak desk, i reached a new level of irritation. several titan guards lined the expansive room, and perked up at my outburst, stepping forward to restrain me, but with a single, annoyed wave of the hand lucan dismissed them back to their posts.

a sound escaped my lips that i wasn't entirely familiar with, something like pure hatred mixed with the building frustration for the entire immortal year since i began this journey. i threw caution and respect to the wind and lifted my hand toward the ceiling where an expansive chandelier made out of impressive antlers hung, tying the rustic room together. with a burst of magic that left my hand like a shock wave against the atmosphere, i pulled the light fixture from its lofty place and crashed it onto lucan's desk, severing it in half, spilling lucan's coffee all over his lap and scattering his papers.

the tension in the room grew palpable, every eye turning angrily on me, weapons were drawn and even talbott stepped into place by the unhinged doors to prevent my escape. the titans began to move against me, not bothering to wait for orders, but lucan stood from his chair, his wrath thickening the air with violent electricity.

lucan crossed the room in a second, moving toward me with terrifying purpose. i held my ground ready to meet him, but kiran stepped in front of me before lucan got too close. i prickled at kiran's protection, ignorantly defiant enough to welcome a fight with this king, the same king i came to beg mercy from.