It was Saturday, December 3, and Lux's main studio had packed to overflowing with people. No one had gone there to watch a show, however. Everyone was there to audition for one, and specifically a musical stage theatrical. The studio was immensely large, covering almost a block, and it recorded film theatricals as well as produced stage theatricals—and the initial line to audition had still stretched through the entire building and out to the street and down the road.
The crowd had diminished significantly by afternoon thanks to the first two rounds eliminating many people. Neither Theo nor Ryan felt any nerves as they sat in the audience. They had given their best performance during the monologue portion and had confidence in continuing on or being immediately cast. The director hoped to get some roles cast right out the gate, and he was in deep discussion with his composer and lyricist.
Theo grinned a bit as he studied Tasia's form. The unstylish sorceress had been forced to dress a little more deliberately, and the resulting effect had most of the eyes in the room watching her wistfully. The situation was not at all aided by the fact that her pregnancy continued to make her look like some sort of fertility goddess, and her high cut shirt showed off her only slightly curved belly and bellybutton ring equally. She had never had cut abs like Shana or Leslie despite being as strong as the former—she had been trim but definitely soft visually—so what definition she had possessed had already started to be hidden.
"We need her to audition," Ryan groused to Theo.
"No kidding," Theo muttered back.
They had been chewing on the problem since the musical had been announced right after All Hallows. In fact, they still could not be convinced that maybe Mark Lambert had written the play after meeting Tasia. The role of Lauren felt damn tailored to her. Tasia loved theatricals, to be sure, and she had acted in more than one during university, but she had an inclination to gravitate toward technical work more than acting.
"Has she ever played a lead role?" Ryan asked.
"Actually, no. Ironic, right? Remember the 'won't lead unless asked' thing? That applies across the board. She's so natural at taking the spotlight, but she prefers to let others shine. Which is annoying because she shines so naturally. Damn it," Theo complained under his breath, "if I have to get cozy on a stage with anyone, I would prefer it to be my best friend."
"Bet you'd convince half the audience you two were lovers for real."
"That's what good acting is all about, friend."
"Okay!" Mark called. He turned around and caused the room to fall silent. "We've narrowed down the room quite a bit, and we've actually managed to cast a couple of the roles right now."
Ryan landed the main supporting character as he had liked, and he and Theo alike got a snicker as they heard Michael called out as the villain. He had auditioned as a favor to Doug, and now he had one of the main roles. He grumbled and groused as he went over to the other portion of the audience where the cast actors would sit. "Never should've let Edgar get me drunk and singing," he muttered at Ryan who snickered anew. "I knew Doug would take advantage eventually. He got that . . . look in his eye."
"Like the one Tasia gets when she spies something in a friend she can use?"
"Exactly that one."
In the audience, Theo listened to more names called and felt no surprise at the choices. He had been making his own mental list of who he thought would fit each role; it helped him hone his own skills. He also felt no surprise when Mark kindly dismissed many people with the urge for them to audition again next time. The rest, including Theo, were called up to the stage a second time, and he smiled as he watched Mark converse anew with his musicians.
The single father had become very familiar and endeared to all Resurrection Cultivators thanks to his daughter, Anna, being a frequent sight at the house. She had bonded incredibly powerfully to Tasia and Rodi alike, and she would spend at least one day a week at the house for Tasia to babysit her, and recently evenings had been added as well. With the production in full swing, she would get to hang around the studio for rehearsals while not in school.
Honestly, Theo felt far too much like Anna was all but a replica of Tasia as a child with just enough Rodi thrown into surprise everyone. He also could not be certain if maybe Anna actually saw Tasia as a mother. The bonds building between them felt damn alike to the majikal bonds between Tasia and her two mothers. Witches tended to form literal bonds via majik with their family members, blood or not. Theo also could not be sure if maybe Anna might not be forming another parental bond to Rodi, and one stronger than to Mark. It was . . . curious.
"Alright," Mark said, breaking into his thoughts. "We're going to move into dialogue before we move into solos. I know I asked you to prepare a dialogue and a solo of your own, but—surprise!—I'm throwing a ringer at you. You'll be randomly pulling a scene from this box," he held it up, "and you will read opposite either Doug or Tasia as a fill-in for a male or female role. And," he added dryly, "both have some incredible acting talent of their own, so you cannot blame them if you stumble."
"Tasia's related to Byron Rancul!" Ryan piped up guiltlessly.
As a swell of interested murmuring rose, and Tasia glared at her friend, Michael snorted softly. Leave it to someone of Orchid to put a friend on the spot when they felt they knew best. Ryan came by that one honestly. "It's just a distant relation," Michael said calmly, and he winked at Tasia.
Mark eyed Tasia. "You never mentioned that you were related to one of the great theatrical stars of the Era." One he had known personally, in fact, and he had more than once seen some measure of a resemblance to him in Tasia.
"It's a distant relation," she muttered, "as my uncle noted. I'm not auditioning for you."
"Why not?" he asked reasonably.
"Because I don't want to. Shut up and do your job."
He felt his stomach quiver as he fought back laughter. Honestly, the way she sassed him and kept him in line, he felt as if he watched Byron's wife, Jean, interacting with his own father. Talk about lines connecting everyone. "Alright, let's get going."
There were ten males and ten females left to go through the parts. Mark made sure to call Theo up last. He had already cast the redhead inside his mind as Cassio, the male lead. He had the look, the spirit, and damn sure the talent. He also had a beautiful tenor voice that could hit the difficult notes scattered in some of the solos. He had the feeling Tasia and Doug had written with him mind, and he did not mind at all.
Theo scooped out a sheet of paper and found a poignant scene between the two leads. "I'm fairly sure I get Tasia for this one, because it would feel pretty icky if I had Uncle Doug." Several of the Resurrection Cultivators had been passed off as adopted children to their parents—which was not wrong—so that people didn't get confused. The others were just 'distant relations.' "Page 10, highlighted fourth line down."
Tasia flipped through her copy of the script and smiled. "Yeah, that'd be me." She walked over to where Theo was standing. She waited a beat and then softly, achingly, "So there you are."
Theo barely looked at the script; he had read it a million times and was almost off-book entirely. "I . . . I don't understand. I don't think we have met before."
"We have, in our dreams." She reached out to touch Theo's hand, and the gesture looked casual and yet somehow unbearably intimate. "My name is Lauren Grenwood. You're Cassio Mulgrove."
Theo edged back a step without removing his hand from his friend's touch. A blend of confusion and longing lit his eyes. "Yes. Yes, I am. Welcome to the town, Lauren."
Tasia's eyes lit with a smile that matched her lips. "You're nervous around me. I'm sorry. That was not my intent." She hesitated, bit her lip, and then shook her head. "I had not realized what meeting you would do to me. I'll leave you to your walk if you like."
"No! No, I don't mind the company." Theo let his fingers entwine with Tasia's as if he had not noticed the gesture. "There is something familiar about you. Perhaps we have met before, even in a dream." He let his voice fill with wistful emotion. "I don't . . . somehow I don't feel lonely near you. It feels like majik."
"Maybe it is. Does that scare you?" She lifted their entwined hands where they could both see them.
Theo looked at them and then at her. He smiled. "I think it's beautiful."
"Scene," Mark said, though a bit dazedly. Both friends looked at him and found he and the rest of the room alike had either wide eyes or dropped jaws. "Wow," he said at last. "Just . . . wow. I didn't feel as if you were acting. I would have sworn you had just fallen in love at first sight."
Theo made a dramatic gesture with his free hand. "Acting!"
It lightened the mood and made everyone start laughing. Tasia winked at Theo before heading back over to the piano. It wasn't hard to turn their deep friendship into something that looked romantic. Friendship was one of the most important components of a romantic relationship anyway.
It was time for solos, and Mark randomly assigned songs. Some people shined despite the curve ball, and others fell flat—literally in some instances as they could not cold read efficiently. Theo was again left for last, and he was not surprised when he was handed a copy of Did You Ask Me To Dream, the opening song of the play and the one that would set the mood by captivating the audience. This song needed to set the bar for what was to follow. He could do that.
Doug flipped to the song and told him, "First two verses and then skip to the final chorus." He played the opening chord and then moved in toward the full melody. He didn't worry Theo couldn't handle it; he was a Virtuoso, and Doug had written specifically for that.
Theo took a little breath and barely glanced at the sheet music in his hand. He memorized anything musical instantly.
Like majik your voice reached me across time
Like a whisper in the night your voice found me
This feeling in my heart came out of nowhere
I can’t remember the first time that I dreamed of you
In my heart
Did you ask me to dream of you?
Did you ask me to love you?
I feel like I’ve been waiting
For you all my life
Did you ask me to dream of us?
Did you ask me to believe?
I know this feeling I have inside
Means that I asked you too
It means that I asked you too
I asked you to dream only of me
The haunting, pure cadence of his musical voice made jaws drop anew. A little buzz rose as people finally realized the sort of competition he made. His voice was unforgettably beautiful, and combined with his brilliant acting, he would go very far in any field he chose to enter. His competitors knew then that not only had they lost to him, but that those vying for the role opposite from him would have to struggle to not be overshadowed entirely.
They all clapped loudly as he finished, and he took a sassy little bow. Mark walked over to him and said quite bluntly, "I don't normally do things this way, but I don't feel like beating around the bush. You're my Cassio. No questions. There's no one else who could play him. I just hope I can cast a Lauren that matches you."
Screw propriety, Theo decided. "You have one already." He looked deliberately at Tasia who shot him a glare. "We've all sat here hearing her read the lines, and they don't sound like lines from her. I think she is Lauren. I think you wrote the part for her, even if you didn't do it consciously."
In fact, Mark had done it consciously. He had just not been able to find a way to get her to accept the part. He had tried tact and subtlety more than once, including several times that day, but she had brushed it off each time with a supposed lack of interest. Bless Theo for going right to the direct route. "I won't deny that," Mark admitted. "And I've been trying to hint at that to her for weeks now. She keeps turning me down."
"That's because she prefers to let other people shine," Theo told him reasonably. "If you want her to step into the spotlight, you have to ask her directly or force her into it. That's just her nature." He looked at the women waiting to audition. "Not only have you heard her reading lines, but you've heard her sing. Tasia is a nickname. Her full name is Anastasia." He saw eyes widen and knew they had realized. "So she's been auditioning for the role all along, right? A Mystic with a coloratura contralto voice? I think she can match me. In fact I think I'll have to work up to her level."
As an excited and eager buzz rose, Tasia dropped her head into her hands. "It's not that big a deal! C'mon, y'all. Okay, I've been reading lines and scenes all day today, but I haven't done any of the solos or monologues!"
"Actually you did do a monologue," Mark reminded her politely. "You read one of the passages before we got started to test the sound system. Let's just skip to the solo part, and after you've proven why Theo and I alike think you're perfect, we'll move on with casting the rest of the ensemble."
She hissed out something in Vericin that sounded explicitly rude. She had been neatly shoved into a corner she had hoped to not enter. She had seen it coming, though, so she was not unprepared. She had recognized the role as being written with her in mind, and she had written Lauren's solos with her own range in mind. "Just give me a damn song." The full force of her accent came out and made more than one person giggle. Mark gingerly handed her a sheet of music as if approaching a wild animal and it made her temper become amusement. "Oh very funny!"
Doug hid his own grin. "Go opening to chorus but use final chorus instead of first."
Tasia looked at the song in her hand and winced. She had no idea what would happen. It was the most powerful thing she had ever written, and it was not a comfortable song. It had been specifically designed to emotionally sucker punch people. "Fine."
The music started and she took a steady breath. It was too late; she was committed. Her eyes opened and her hands became fists at her sides as she stopped fighting her power. She lifted her chin as she began to sing, and utter chills went down the backs of everyone present.
Sacred fire burn and become an inferno
Let your flames tear away the betrayal
I make this prayer on this night under this sky
Because I was different, I was shunned by you
And when the persecution reached us
You took up arms and came to beat down my door
You screamed for my death
That witch you wanted to burn
Will cover you in your own blazes
Sacred fire burn and become an inferno
Let your flames tear away the betrayal
I won't give up my life without a fight
You can't defeat me no matter how you try
Sacred fire burn and become an inferno
I won't give up my life without a fight
My prayer is stronger than all
My prayer is stronger than all
Her power tore through the room and burned across the souls of those present. It was as if the pain and despair of the character had become their own. They felt the helpless fury of running for their lives and could smell the smoke and brimstone of a forest burning in hell. They were taken there to that place. They knew that their lives would end purely because were different. Some people started crying. Others wanted to scream.
Tasia was by far the most shaken of them all. Memories of hell flickered across her caramel eyes. Theo cleared the stage in almost a single leap and wrapped his arms tightly around his friend for support. The moment he touched her, the vision that had flooded Tasia's mind spilled over into his own and he choked back a sob as he held on tighter.
Mark took a ragged breath and pressed the heels of his hands against his chest. He hadn't expected that. Unsteadily, he said, "No one should sing that song but you. No one else ever could. You are Lauren. And if you're not, then no one else will be."
Doug stepped over to Theo and Tasia and put a chair behind his daughter. Theo made her sit down and then simply held her head against his chest and rocked gently. Mark was right, but he was wrong. Tasia was Lauren . . . but Lauren was Liena. The vision had torn a piece of the past open.
In the Royal War that had marked the fall of the kingdoms, the Faith of the Goddess had tried to help halt the onslaught from Famine and Nemesis by supporting the Ephemeral Plane more directly. It had infuriated both evil entities, and they had pushed back harder. The rising hate and unbalance among humans had made them turn on witches again for the first time in the decades since the Majik War, but this time more viciously. Thousands had been burned or drowned before the rest went into hiding. Liena, High Priestess of Protea, had been among the first to fall. Her husband had been murdered trying to protect her, and she had fled into a burning forest for her own life. She had not made it out alive.
Mark let Tasia recover while he finished assigning roles and dismissing those who would not be cast at all. Scripts and music were handed out, and Doug knelt in front of his daughter. The fires burned across her now gray eyes as a memory that would haunt her for the rest of her life. She needed something to bring back her humor. "Want to know something funny?" he asked softly.
"Hmm?"
"Theo mentioned it being sort of icky if he and I had to play opposite each other because he's my nephew. Poor Mike is now in that same position, since he has to pretend to have interest in his niece that way. I guess maybe I feel a little guilty for making him audition." He paused. "Actually, no I don't." He was rewarded when she smiled, but the curve of her lips didn't seem to reach her eyes. He softly brushed at her hair. "It's alright, sweetheart," he said tenderly. "You're here. We're here. Everything is as it is supposed to be, Anastasia."
Her eyes closed and she took a deep breath. He always knew what to say to her. All of her parents did, mothers and fathers alike, but Doug especially just seemed able to find the right thing when she needed it most. She was more than a little bit a daddy's girl, and she did not mind. "I'm okay." She straightened her back and forced the memories out. "I'll be fine."
Sensing the mood had lifted, Mark called everyone together and they all settled in with their scripts to begin their first read through. They went without music for this first read since the important thing was to establish familiarity with the characters and start memorizing lines. That didn't stop the sighs of proxy romance as Theo and Tasia continued to convincingly portray star-crossed soul mates.
The read served as the first rehearsal, and they all left to go home after. Everyone was still a bit shaken over the musical moment. Theo and Tasia weren't surprised to get home with Ryan and discover all of their friends waiting for them. Leslie and Rodi went to Tasia without words and simply held onto her as she needed.
They returned to the theater again the next evening for the first full rehearsal, and Theo whistled cheerfully to himself as he kicked off his shoes; no shoes were allowed on the stage until a new protective covering could be put down in the next week or so. He felt more than in his element here, and more than content with the outcome. He got to sing and act in a role tailor made for him and he played opposite his best friend who was just as suited to her role. Two of his beloved uncles were involved as well, along with another of his best friends. It felt as if nothing could go wrong.
His Sight stirred and a premonition filled him. He shivered a little as he wrapped his arms around himself. It had been quiet for the last few days, and it was the calm before the storm. Alloran had changed tactics on them. If things went as they had been, he knew with nearly one hundred percent certainty that he would be the next in line to be attacked and then evolve.
He looked down at his hands and at the engagement rings he wore on his thumbs. The bits of agate and ruby embedded in the bands always sparkled. Kimber had put the rings on him before he left, and she had even gone to the effort to set up a romantic proposal even though they had been betrothed already. She wore matching rings as well, and with both of them officially engaged, huge plans were already in swing back home for a royal wedding. Kimber had taken the idea of marrying a Crown Prince with good humor and grace, though she did complain now and then when Theo forced her to dress up.
The thought made him smile. He missed her more than anything. Just hearing her voice had not been enough. Fire Flower Elements tended to have rather passionate natures, so no longer having his soul mate around had become more than a bit frustrating. His situation was not aided by the fact that his lover was so damn sexy to begin with. She personified lust as far as he was concerned. So very unfair.
He heard the stage manager say something in high annoyance and turned around with a blink to find everyone at the edge of the stage and staring up into the catwalk overhead. He walked over to join them and asked, "Who did what?"
"Jori kicked off his shoes a little too enthusiastically," the stage manager said with heavy dryness. "One of them is in the audience somewhere. The other went into the catwalk." She rapped Jori in the back of the head with her hand. The two had been friends for over three decades, so got away with a lot with each other. "I need to go get it down."
"You're afraid of heights, Nataya," Theo protested. "I'll go get it down. I don't mind." He grinned a little cheerfully. "I don't come in until page three, and Mark takes forever to begin blocking things." Because it was true, even Mark couldn't take offense; he just grinned. Theo took off his sweater so that he was only in his tank top and then followed Nataya over to the entrance to the catwalk.
"Need a flashlight?" Nataya offered. When Theo shook his head, she smiled wryly and held the door open for him. "You're a braver one than I am. That catwalk gives me the creeps."
"Eh, it's not so bad." Theo palmed a small fireball for light as the door shut behind him and let it hover along as he climbed higher into the dusty rafters where the catwalk was located. It actually was pretty eerie up there. Greatly so. All sense of space went away and he felt suspended in nothing. Only the beams under his feet remained real, and the places illuminated by his spell held nothing but shadowy wisps of darkness. It felt murky and warm up there for the heat had risen and gotten trapped; hence why he had removed his sweater first. Sweat and makeup did not go together.
Sweat still slid down his back as he carefully edged his way across the beams. The ground under most of the beams was solid, but he could still get hurt from falling wrong. He entirely did not want the inevitable scolding he would get from Tasia or Ryan if they had to patch him back together. As he knelt down trying to reach the shoe, he clearly sensed an evil presence. He shot to his feet and whirled around with his wand of alder and agate in hand. Tasia, he thought as loudly as she could. Silence the rafters! Lacking room or time or space to have a real fight, he drew out a banishing pentagram—which started from the bottom instead of top—and hurled it at the beast lumbering out of the shadows.
The Gensome gave a roar of pain as the pentagram grabbed it and tried to slow it down. It thrashed about, and Theo leapt over and between beams as it tried to follow after him. It shook the roof as it knocked down several beams, but his banishing majik was stronger, and it finally disappeared in defeat. He gulped in air and knelt down for a moment to ensure he would not appear too frazzled when he went back to the stage. He made his way back and knocked the shoe out of the catwalk. Laughter rose, and he knew that Tasia had heard his mental shout.
It was confirmed when he got down to the stage and Tasia met him at the door to look him over sharply. Ryan and Michael hadn't walked over, but they watched intently, and he saw that they knew something had happened. Nodding a little to let them know he was alright, he wrapped an arm around Tasia's waist. "He tried the direct approach," he said quietly.
"And failed. Be on your toes, Theo," Tasia said just as quietly. "You know damn well he'll try again."
The thing was . . . nothing happened. The month passed by in a whirlwind of activity, and the winter solstice and festival came and went with everyone exchanging gifts and spending the holidays together. Ryan's twenty-eighth birthday fell the same day as the solstice, and that got rolled into the celebrations. Desiree and Uwe took him out for a family day together, and they spent it mostly at the beach where all three Water Flower Elements could have the most fun. Uwe, a former professional swimmer, could still outrace his son in the waves, but Ryan vehemently declared his intent to practice and beat him in the future. Desiree had just laughed at them both.
Before the theatrical group quite realized it, the final week of rehearsals known as technical preparations arrived. Everyone dove head-on into costuming and lighting and sound and running through the production with everything together. Opening night fell on the eve of the new year, and nearly all of Lux intended to go to the show rather than have their own celebrations.
Tasia and Rodi both had birthdays on the first day of the new year, which still felt more than a bit eerie to their friends. Tasia had actually done a little divination out of curiosity, and she had discovered that she had taken her first breath literally exactly a year after Rodi had taken his. That breath she had breathed had been not just Iris breathing through her lungs, but Aria as well via the already existing bonds between the soul mates. She would be turning thirty this year—first of her team to do so—and he would be thirty-one. Plans were made for a party in the afternoon so that they had time to sleep after the play, and to have fun before the next night's performance. The show would run for two weeks straight with one evening off every three days.
On opening night, Tasia stood backstage in her first costume and tried to ignore the dull pounding of her heart. The weight of someone's destiny hung heavily over her shoulders. Something horrible would happen. Had to happen. She flicked a glance at Theo and saw her friend had a pensive expression on his face from feeling the same thing. Someone was going to die.
Nothing happened. The curtain rose on riotous applause and the play began. The audience remained spellbound from the opening number on. Theo and Tasia alone were ridiculously powerful, and when they joined in the love duet Our Hearts Will Always Touch, no eyes were left dry. Their chemistry felt so real that some actually wondered if it was more than acting. Lauren's solo sonata to her lover about taking flight on majikal wings had hands clasping together and lovers moving closer.
The tension built as the villain made the scene in the guise of being there to help, and his subtle corruption of the villagers into believing Lauren was an evil creature who needed to be burned made more than one person uncomfortable. Michael was a stellar actor himself, and the animosity he and Tasia sparked seemed so genuine that no one could believe that he was actually her uncle.
The burning scene began, and Doug's tense music raised the emotions in the room even before the orchestra moved into Witch's Prayer. Tasia wasn't even halfway into the song when the audience started to cheer and yell out encouragement for her character to survive. Her voice grew stronger and more powerful until it caused the ground to tremble slightly. The bridge of the song started, and the roof gave an unexpected groan that silenced the entire room eerily.
Michael was moving before he became fully conscious of the danger; something on Tasia's face had alerted him somehow. He tackled Tasia to the ground and rolled her safely out of the way as the roof began to fall in huge clumps. The entire structure started to shake, and people screamed. Nataya hastily grabbed the microphone to the public system and said, "Please remain calm and evacuate as slowly and carefully as possible. Do not run. Do not panic."
Chaos still broke out. The audience poured out into the cool night away from the building and crossed the street to safety. The ticket collectors began to take a hasty roll call to make sure everyone was present. All in attendance for opening night had been invited, so they could be accounted for quickly, and no names proved missing.
The crew and cast had gone out the back, and they did the same thing. Unfortunately, they did not have the same luck. While Anna was there, no one could find Mark, and Theo could not be located either. Panic bubbled up, and Tasia said curtly, "I saw Theo go out a side door into the alley since he couldn't make it to a main entrance."
A very shaken Jori lifted his head from where he had been sitting and said, "I—I think I saw someone get hit by the ceiling. It—it looked like Mark. He might be still in there!"
Anna made a little sound of distress as she clung to Ryan's leg, and Tasia's face went pale. She would have darted back across the street if Michael had not grabbed onto her and held on with ruthless strength. He could not carry her, unfortunately, but he could drag her to a stop. "Not a chance in hell, Anastasia!" he snapped. Lead Defenders all too often would think only of saving someone else, no matter the risk to themselves.
Her head jerked up suddenly, and her face drained of all remaining color. "Theo," she whispered. "He's after Theo. Uncle Mike, please, we have to go find him!"
She twisted in his arms to look up at him, and he gave a quick nod. "We're going to find Theo," he told Nataya. "Ryan, why don't you come too?"
"Be careful!" Nataya called as they ran off, and she wrapped her arms around Anna's trembling form as the girl rushed to her side. "It'll be okay," she whispered. "It has to be."
Theo was not happy. He knew the collapse had to be a result of the Gensome's attempted attack. The roof had been so badly weakened that the power of Tasia's Mystic voice had ruptured all remaining balance, and she had unwittingly weakened even the walls; the force and fury of that one song could have an effect not unlike a quake. They should have reinforced everything before opening night, and he hated himself for not realizing the condition of the roof and rafters.
The slimy drip of evil approaching dug at him. Unfortunately, his PCA sat in Sherry's bag in the audience, and he only had his regular Mask attached inside his costume. He had foregone the communications mask since, hey, all of the two generations would be in attendance. He could have kicked himself for that, too. He also could not be sure if Sherry or Shana or Tasia would sense danger of a different sort from the collapsing studio; he had barely felt the evil presence himself.
He edged his way carefully down the alley, trying to make it to the end without being caught between the collapsing building and whatever evil kept closing in. He didn't make it. A blast of energy shot from nowhere and slammed into his chest. It sent him flying into the wall, and he slowly sank to the ground where he watched through dazed eyes as his Life Orb appeared.
He braced his hands against the wall and tried to stand but he couldn't manage it. Tasia and Ryan suddenly knelt next to him, both Masked, and each of them took one of his arms to help him up to his feet where Tasia took most of his weight. Michael, armed and in his uniform as a Commander, had engaged the Gensome to keep it away. Ryan took the Life Orb to hand it to Theo. "Theodore," he said softly.
"I didn't kill it before," Theo whispered. He didn't even see the Life Orb. He was staring at the monster and hearing as the building rumbled even further. "If only I had killed it before it damaged the building, this wouldn't have happened. It's just like that time before . . ." Tears welled in his eyes and slid down his cheeks. "If I hadn't hesitated and gone to pick him up, then he wouldn't have died."
"What is he talking about?" Ryan demanded of Tasia.
She took a deep breath. "We all got licenses to drive ECs when we were twenty-one, as is normal. A few months later, Theo was supposed to pick his father up from where he worked in the city, but he felt nervous driving alone and delayed leaving. He was late . . . and the place where his father worked found itself on the epicenter of a quake sparked by overflow Nature magic, which will keep happening until Shanae can turn down Protea's outreach when the other worlds are intact again. Theo's dad died when a beam fell and crushed him. This is shitty déjà vu at its worst."
"It's my fault," Theo whispered again as his hands tightened around the Life Orb he held. Much to his utter shock, he suddenly felt a distinct presence. It was a presence that he hadn't felt for years. In fact, he hadn't felt it since that fateful day so long ago. He had Ghost Sight as an Aster Ruler Cultivator, so ghosts could not only communicate with him but even borrow his gift to appear visibly to everyone else. He honestly saw them wherever he went, no matter what he was doing, but none had ever felt so important. "Papa."
Both Ryan and Tasia could see the vague and grayed out image of Theo's father as he appeared. He stepped in front of his son and watched him with grave eyes. Ryan wanted to ask how he had gotten there, but he was unable to say a single thing.
"Young man," he said to Theo, his voice stern and almost hollow sounding. "No one ever blamed you. In fact, I'm grateful for what had happened." His voice gentled as he said, "If you'd been on time to get me, you'd have walked right in the door as it happened, and it would have been you who died."
"Papa . . . I'm so sorry."
"Now stop that." He framed Theo's face in his hands gently. "I'm not, and I'm the one who counts here. Move past that memory, and realize that everything happening then and today has its place in things. No more guilt."
Tears blurred his eyes but he began to smile. "No more guilt, I promise."
He disappeared, and the other two Resurrection Cultivators hurried out of the way as the Life Orb blazed bright white in Theo's grip. A majik circle cast around his feet as his Defender Flower Mark appeared and began to glow even through his sleeve. The Orb dissolved back inside him where it belonged, and his Mark gained a new aster blossom. He grabbed his Mask and yanked it on without delay, all too aware of how dangerous the situation was beyond the Gensome.
His wand appeared in his hand anew. "Summoning!" He drew the invoking pentagram this time and hurled it at the night sky. Heat waves began to rise around his body and flames surged at his feet. "Immortal Inferno!"
The flames swelled upward and began to spin into a deadly tornado shape. It moved forward from Theo and then began to circle around him tightly, grabbing more and more fire from him until it stood three times his height. Theo snapped his fingers, and the inferno changed direction to rush at the Gensome, leaving a line of flames in its wake. Michael had already cleared the space, and the inferno consumed the Gensome with such potency that the monster turned to instant ashes. As the bits fluttered in the air, the inferno spun itself faster and faster until it shrank down and disappeared.
Michael stayed in his uniform and the three Defenders stayed in their Masks as they split into teams of two. Michael and Ryan went to the front to find the audience, and Tasia and Theo went around back to where the cast and crew stood. The fight had surely been noticed, so everyone would need reassurance. "Everything is fine," Tasia told Nataya. "We took care of the evil that caused the trouble."
Nataya stared at her, clearly awestricken. "Tasia?" she whispered. It had to be Tasia; she could not imagine two people possessing that beautiful, musical, mystical voice.
"Yeah." Tasia nodded briefly. "And Theo." She broke off as the building gave a final shudder and collapsed entirely along the back end. The entire half of the large building dedicated to stage theatricals had been destroyed, and the front half utilized for films would most likely have been at least compromised if not also heavily damaged in places. Several fire guardians as well as legal officers had arrived on scene to help, but they could only stand helplessly. Dust and debris billowed outward into the air, and Tasia hastily put up a shield of Ice that kept everyone in her area safe from choking on the dust. "Did Mark come out?" she asked.
The stricken look on the stage manager's face caused her heart to freeze in her chest. "No," Nataya managed to whisper. "W-we kept hoping he might have made it out front. He didn't come out this way, and you didn't see him in the alley . . ."
Tasia grabbed her communications mask. "Younger Orchid!" she snapped. When her mask lit up ultramarine to show the connection made, she demanded, "Did you see Mark out there, Ryan?"
"No." The hint of strain in his answer could not be hidden. "He's not out back?"
She did not answer him. She dropped the communications mask and went running toward the rubble before anyone could stop her. Theo was forced to remain behind when her shield melted so that he could provide a different one of Fire for everyone. Tears seared his throat as he made the shield thin enough to see through, and they all watched as Tasia dug desperately in the debris. Haeth and Striker arrived as well and moved to help their mistress dig.
"No, no, no, no, no," Tasia whispered over and over again. Tears nearly blinded her as the premonition of death rose up and choked her. She knew. She already knew what she would find. She wanted to be wrong. She had to be wrong for once! This was not the way it was supposed to be!
The audience across the street could just make her out as she was digging. The Cultivators and Commanders alike scrambled to get through the crowd to try to help her. Rodi and Leslie were in a particular panic to get to their shared soul mate, and they nearly knocked several people over. Just as they finally reached a spot where those with Masks would be clear to put them on, a small but painful little gasp tore through the air and gouged into everyone who heard. Just a tiny sound that spoke volumes for what had been found.
"Dear goddess," Juliet managed to say.
Tasia managed to rip aside enough rubble that she fully uncovered the sight of Mark's hand. She dug deeper, cutting her skin where her gloves did not cover her hands, but she did not care. She managed to reveal him more fully, and he gave a weak cough that make her hopes soar. It lasted only a moment until she eased him into her arms, and her arcanistry told him that he stood on the edge of death. It loomed so close that her dragons could smell it, and they began to call the dragon's song of mourning as they circled in the air. "Mark," she whispered thickly. "Please open your eyes."
His eyes opened slightly, and he gave a faint wheezing cough. Blood trickled down his lips. His fading eyesight still landed on her with comprehension despite her Mask. He knew. He had always known who and what she was. It was why he had done what he had. "Tasia," he managed, and he saw her eyes widen. "The show . . . for you . . . for Liena . . . I'm sorry . . . back then . . . I was there . . . Anna . . . yours . . ."
That was it. There was no more. He went limp in her arms and her heart stopped beating for an agonizing moment. "Mark!" She gave him a little shake. "Mark!" she shouted. A horrifying blend of past and present blurred until she could not feel her own grief without feeling the echoes of the grief from Liena and Jean. Their emotions, hers, all welled up in a searing, volatile, wave that ripped at her soul so powerfully for a moment that it stole her voice. It swelled and swelled in confinement until her power became tangible and lifted the rubble around her into the air.
She could not find her voice, could not breathe through the pain tearing her apart. She needed to break. She needed to break before she destroyed herself. Lacking any other recourse, she did the only thing she could: she reached out, shoved away her soul mates, and shattered her soul anew. Her voice returned in a rush as her soul reformed and everything boiling inside spilled over into a single piercing scream that ripped across the night sky like a shockwave until it encompassed the world.
And even Protea herself wept softly in the Mystic Sorceress' endless grief.
©Stacy J. Garrett. Do not reprint or redistribute without permission.
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