Becoming: Red Nova Chronicles Book One, page 9
“Are they immortal like you and Owen?” Sean asked.
“Not exactly,” Owen said. “The heart stones allow them to live for two, even three hundred years at a time, we think, but if they do not consume another one, we believe they will die. Using dragon heart stones in this way is not natural for humans, but once they start, they cannot stop. And Sean, we are only immortal if we shift to our true forms at least once a year. If we were to stop, to deny our true selves and live our lives as humans, then we too would die as humans do.”
“So that’s why they’ve been hunting you,” Sachie whispered.
This is horrible. Sachie said. How could these people do this?
Sean tried to respond to her, but his mind was racing way too fast. He could feel sweat beading on his forehead, and he started to feel nauseous.
“Yes,” Helena said, “that’s why they hunt us. And that’s why you’re no longer safe here.”
“Us? Why would they be after us?” Sean finally found his voice, but it came out a bit higher than normal. Sachie watched as he tried to swallow. He couldn’t seem to get his throat working.
She gently put her arm around him. It’s okay, brother, I’ve got you.
Now it was Owen who spoke, and he too seemed to be having trouble getting his voice to work properly. “Sean, Sachie, you are no ordinary twins. In fact, you are two extraordinary dragons. Twins are very rare in our species, and usually they’re born of the same element or even complementary elements, like Mateo and Isabel, but you two are not like that. You’re of fire and water, perfect opposites of each other, like Helena and me. But being twins… well, this gives you both an extra amount of power and magic that not even Helena and I have.”
We have more power? Now Sachie was trembling. Sean could tell that she didn’t know if having more power was a good thing. He definitely didn’t want more, especially after the science lab debacle, and he hadn’t been the one who’d accidentally set the place on fire. Could either of them handle more?
Sean put his arm around her, mirroring her gesture from earlier. Sachie tried to smile, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes.
“A long time ago, before humans ever existed, our people had a great prophet named Anatu, and she foretold of you, the twins of fire and ice, of lightning and water, twins of the same yolk born on different days. These twins would hold the key to saving our race and restoring balance to the world. You two are the foretold twins of the great prophecy, and as of last night, the Alchemists know of your existence.”
“What?”
“Damn it all,” Aharon cursed.
“What is it? We did what we came to do, so what’s your problem?” Aton asked.
“They weren’t the right ones,” he said as he flung his fist into the nearest thing he could find—which happened to be a solid brick wall. Several of the bricks were now on the floor, broken into tiny pieces. He looked down at his bloody hand and cursed again. At least the massive hole in the wall was satisfying.
“How do you know they weren’t the right ones?” Aton asked, playing on his phone. He was clearly bored with the conversation.
“Because the little shits fought back,” he roared. “And when they did, they threw flowers at me! Flowers!”
“Were they poisonous?” Aton chuckled.
“Fuck off, Aton!”
He hated him! Why did his younger brother never take any pride in his work? Everything was either boring or a joke to him. He didn’t know how he had survived with an attitude like that. They were sent here on a mission. Keket wanted the twins from the prophecy, not a couple of tree huggers! She was their client and their sister, for gods’ sake, and Aharon always delivered. She wanted the real deal, and all he had were a couple of useless earth dragons and their parents. Aharon was a professional. He didn’t make stupid mistakes like this. That was why he’d been so successful all these millennia, and here was his brother cracking jokes like it was no big deal, like their sister wasn’t going to string them up and sacrifice them to Isis when she found out.
“What can we do, man?” Aton asked. “We went where we were told, but she got it wrong. When she figures it out, and you know she will, we’ll go to the next place she sends us. It is what it is. Just let it be.”
“Easy for you to say,” Aharon said. “So are you going to tell her?”
“Not it,” Aton said, putting his finger on his nose. “She contracted you. I’m just here for the cash. Now pay up.”
7
THE PORTAL SPELL
Sachie’s alarm was tinkling. It sounded so pretty, like the wind chimes her mother had hung on the front porch at their old home. In her sleepy state, she could almost see her parents again, hugging them goodbye for what would be the last time. Had she known, she would have held them longer. It had been around dusk when they left for their last trip. She and Sean were sitting on the porch arguing over who would win in a fight between Captain America and Luke Skywalker, totally oblivious to the tension coming off them in waves. They were completely sheltered and selfish without a care in the world, and apparently their parents were secret superheroes getting ready to defend the entire dragon race. How did she not notice? How could she have been so blind?
Before she could dwell on this for too long, she heard a gentle knocking at the door. Sachie turned off her alarm and looked at her phone. It was 5 a.m. Why were they getting up so early on a… Wait, what day was it again? Her mind was still foggy. Friday was the Gathering. Saturday they’d turned into dragons. Sunday they had failed at researching dragons. Monday she nearly burned down the school, and Tuesday… Tuesday her whole world had been turned upside down. So yeah, today was Wednesday, and she knew she had to get up and face it all, but she foolishly hoped that maybe this day would be filled with fewer major revelations.
“Sach, you up?” It was Sean.
She groaned in response. He was already dressed, and he looked all bright-eyed and chipper. Sachie felt like an extra from The Walking Dead. The bags under her eyes had bags of their own. These early mornings were starting to catch up to her. She never enjoyed being awake before 9 a.m., and Sean’s early bird existence only seemed to mock her own pitiful state.
“Yes, I’m up. Now go away…” She tossed a pillow at him, which he easily dodged with a laugh.
“Okay, I’ll leave you be, but don’t take too long getting ready. Helena and Owen are already up, and Isabel just texted. She and Mateo will be over in about thirty minutes. Apparently the spell for time travel takes some time to prepare. Go figure,” he laughed. “And everyone has to be present for it to work.”
Sachie groaned loudly into her pillow. The events from yesterday were still swirling in her brain. Not only were they dragons, because that wasn’t crazy enough. No, they were also the chosen ones of some ancient prophecy who were destined to save the world, but no one had the full prophecy to show them! So they had no clue as to how to actually do any of this. In order to get the prophecy, they had to travel back in time to each of the fallen elders and retrieve the pieces. This was because the prophecy had been intentionally split up between the elders for protection, so it wouldn’t fall into the wrong hands. They also had to attend dragon school with the fallen elders so they could learn how to actually be dragons. How do you even learn that? she wondered. To make matters worse, what they knew of the prophecy called for all four elements to work together. This meant that now Isabel and Mateo would be tagging along to attend this bizarre school lost in time, all so they could bond and become a true den. Why did it have to be those two? Grandpa Owen had said that another set of twins would be better, since they would have more power between them just like she and Sean had, and Helena said it was ideal that they were all so close in age in order for them to bond. Sachie didn’t think any of this was ideal, and it just made her want to stay in bed longer.
Being a dragon and saving the world was not part of her plan. She had her future to think of, the future she and her parents had mapped out together. She felt like she was betraying them by going off course, but she also wanted to do the right thing. She didn’t want to let anyone down, and she needed to protect Sean. She hated what the Alchemists were doing to her… to her people. It felt strange to think about, but they were her people now. While the thought was kind of surreal, she knew in her heart that it was true. What the Alchemists were doing was wrong. She hated them for what they did to Diana and her sweet kids, and she hated them even more for killing her parents. There was a part of her that craved revenge. She wanted to make them pay for taking her parents away, but she mostly wanted to stop them from destroying other families in the future. Despite this, despite the fire that was burning inside of her to see justice served, she couldn’t help but wonder why Owen and Helena needed her or Sean. Couldn’t they find someone else? Wasn’t there another set of twins that were older, more qualified or maybe even ones that had known they were actually dragons for longer than a week?
Sachie pulled her bedspread over her head. All of this was crazy, and she couldn’t wrap her analytical mind around it. She could hear Sean audibly sigh. Why did he always see right through her? Even without the weird mind-reading thing, her brother always knew what she was thinking.
As if on cue, Sean came into her room and tempted her with the one thing she could never say no to. “I’ll make you an espresso…” he sang, trying to tempt her out of bed.
She loved espresso. “Hmmm… really?”
“Come on and get ready! It will be waiting for you downstairs.”
“Can you make it a double?”
Sean laughed and headed back down the stairs.
Sachie reluctantly left the safety of her bed and started to get ready for what was certain to be another chaotic day.
“Do you have everything the spell requires, Lena?” Owen asked.
“Yes, dear, I have everything we need,” Helena said.
“What about the wolf’s bane?”
“Yes.”
“The frankincense and rose water?”
“Yes.”
“And the Alexandrite crystal? It was in the chest upstairs in my room wrapped in the red velvet cloth. Do you have that?”
“Owen, stop. I know you’re concerned, but the children must go and study with the elders. This is the only way we can guarantee that they’ll learn what they must in order to fulfill the prophecy, and it’s the only way we can ensure their safety. We’re ready, and they will be too.”
Sean was pacing the kitchen as Helena and Owen talked. He was already wound tight, but their conversation was only making him tenser. In fact, everyone in the house was tense, and this did nothing but make him want to jump out of his skin. He was trying to be strong, to be the steady and steadfast one, but all he wanted to do was hop in his car and head to the beach. He needed the waves and the water to soothe his frayed nerves and calm his soul. He stopped in his tracks. Maybe being a water dragon was part of why he was so drawn to the ocean. He’d never really thought about it before, but perhaps he craved his dragon element.
Just as he was going to ask Owen about this, Sachie entered the kitchen, and she looked determined. But determined wasn’t quite the right word. She was ablaze, like she had a fire burning within her. He looked at her quizzically, and she smirked at him in return. This was his sister. She was on a mission, and he was so relieved to see her in all her fiery glory. She must have made up her mind up about something, because she was ready to conquer whatever that thing was. Seeing her like this, Sean was happy she was on his side. He would never want to cross someone as formidable as her.
“Espresso?” Sachie asked.
“Double shot, as requested.”
“Why thank you, brother.”
Sean raised his eyebrow at her. “You seem… well this morning.”
He wasn’t sure what was going on, but Sachie’s confidence was contagious, and he wanted to know what or whose ass they were going to kick, because he could tell she was ready for a fight, and he was sorry for whomever she had set her sights on.
“Why yes, my dear brother, I am quite well. I just had to sort something out.”
He chuckled, and matched her formal speech. “So, do pray tell, dear sister, what have you sorted in the last thirty minutes that seems to have you ready to take on the world?”
Sachie laughed at this, and Sean couldn’t help but laugh too. She joined Helena at the table and happily sipped her espresso.
He was about to sit down when they all heard a sharp knock at the front door.
“That must be Isabel and Mateo. I’ll get it,” Owen said as he strode to the door.
Sean jumped to attention as Isabel and Mateo entered the kitchen.
Isabel was all business. She wore light-tan khakis and a hunter-green fleece jacket. She had on one of those big backpacks that professional hikers or climbers use when they go on month-long treks into the wilderness. It was strapped to her, and attached to it were two sleeping bags and a tent. Despite her overall bulky clothes and heavy equipment, Sean was again taken aback by her beauty. Her shoulder-length, curly brown hair fell in waves around her, which framed her lovely heart-shaped face and accentuated her full lips. The soft curves of her body were on full display due to the thick straps of the huge backpack that were clinging to her. He could literally stare at her for hours.
“Who’s going camping?” Sachie asked, eyeing Isabel.
“Well, good morning to you too, Sachie,” she snapped, but Sean noticed a slight flush color her cheeks. “Good morning everyone,” she continued. “I wasn’t sure what to expect, so I just wanted to be ready.” The flush on her cheeks reddened into a full blush, then she looked at Sean who was standing statue-like with his mouth agape. “Hey there, Sean,” she said. “You okay?”
Isabel now stood directly in front of him. She looked up at him and cocked her head to the side. Apparently his gawking hadn’t gone unnoticed.
He felt his face start to burn, and he quickly moved to the coffee machine, desperate to do something with his hands. In his haste, he accidentally dropped the filter with all the grounds on the floor. “Shit! Sorry, um, yeah, I’m fine. How are you? You guys want any coffee or espresso?” Sean silently cursed again as he tried to clean up his mess.
“Here, let me help.” Isabel unbuckled her pack and set it down, then grabbed some paper towels and dropped down to the floor to scoop up the fallen coffee grounds. Sean froze. Their faces were now only inches apart, and he could smell the sweet scent of gardenias coming from her hair. She didn’t look at him, and he didn’t dare look at her. After about a minute, the mess was gone, and she calmly rose to her feet and took a seat at the table. Sean was still frozen in place, and when he finally looked around, everyone was staring at him.
“Dude, I think you got it,” Mateo said, eyeing him suspiciously. “If you’re done, I would take a coffee.”
“Yeah, me too,” Isabel said, blushing again.
“If everyone is quite done with caffeinating, we have work to attend to,” Helena said with an impish grin as she stood up from the table. “I know you may feel unsure or even unsuited to the tasks ahead, but I assure you, Owen and I have every faith in you. You can do this, but we must be quick, and even more importantly, we must be accurate. We need you all focused, because what we are about to attempt is not easy. One mistake, and you could be lost in time forever.” She paused and looked at each of them. As her gaze moved from one person to the other, Sean felt her power fill the room. When her gaze finally rested on him, he heard her voice in his head.
My dear, sweet Sean, while this journey will be difficult for all, you will feel it more than any of the others. You will carry their fear, worry and concern, along with their frustrations, self-doubts and insecurities. The burden will be heavy, but you alone must bear it. You must do this because they need you to do it. You each have a part to play on this quest. The others need your compassion and empathy, because without it, the four of you will never succeed. You are the key to keeping everyone together. Like water, you will weave your way and find the connections you all share because you are the heart and soul of this group, this Nexus. But don’t despair, my dear boy, your burden will not always be filled with pain. Along with the hurt, you will also experience triumph, joy and wonder as you all become who you were always meant to be. You, too, will feel this more than any of the others, and this is what you must hold fast to when all seems lost. You must be the light in the darkness the others can cling to when they lose their way, because they will. Sean MacKenna, do you accept this responsibility? Do you vow to carry this burden for your Nexus and protect your fellow dragons until your last breath?
Sean held his breath. He couldn’t believe this was really happening. Was he ready to do this? If he said yes, then his whole world would change. He would no longer be just a normal kid. He would be part of something more. As much as he liked the idea of being special, the thought of everything changing scared him. If he said no, then maybe he could go back to being normal. Did he really want things to go back to the way they were? He could hear the seconds ticking by on the wall clock hanging in the kitchen. Each tick was like a hammer to his brain. He had to make a decision, but which one was right? Suddenly he heard himself say, yes, and just like that, it was over.
