The Fire Wars Page 12

  “Chance?” I looked up at her in confusion. So Chance trusted her? “Who are you?”

  “I'm certainly not Chance's pretty young piece on the side, as you so enviously thought.” She laughed. “No, I have never dreamed of such an honor – all the other girls he's loved have burned up and died. But me, I've survived for centuries. His stalwart friend. No rival to you, my dear. Better a long life than a fiery death for me, pretty.”

  “What are you? You're not human...”

  “Neither are most of the students at Aeros, child – and most likely neither are you – if you react with such fear at every non-human you come across, you'll never make it through your first class. I am a truthsayer, Mackenzy Evers. A seer. An oracle. One of Vesta's line.”

  The truthsayer. Now I understood why Chance and Misty had been so close.

  “The seer?” My fear abated. If Chance trusted Misty, that meant that I had to, too. “Then you know if I'm Vesta or not!”

  “Ah, that's beyond my powers, my dear child. You see, I told Chance that I felt a strong presence – nothing more. Whether it is you or not I do not know. But I can tell by reading you that whatever you are, you are no human. But you're not reading pure, either...not like the others.”

  “Like Jana, you mean?”

  “Oh, Jana,” Misty sighed. “Yes...”

  “How did she read?”

  “Jana was no human, child.”

  “Was she a goddess?”

  “She had hubris, child. She wanted to be Vesta – to rise above her station in life. But no, Mac – Jana wasn't human at all.”

  “And me?” I looked eagerly at Misty. “What am I? Chance thinks...”

  “You can see beyond my glamoured form,” said Misty. “That means you are more than human. But I cannot tell you more than that. Even an oracle, a truthsayer like myself – the true identity of the Fire goddess is hidden. She cannot be recognized easily – she can prove her nature only by passing a test.”

  “A test?”

  “A test that has killed many women already. But that was how they did it in the ancient days. Vesta and her lover Mars worked out an arrangement. For long ago, in the most ancient days, they were lovers. They were happy. But the goddess Vesta, though pure, was tempted. Another wooed her away from the Fire God.”

  “Who?”

  “The legends are unclear. But Vesta feared the wrath of the lover she spurned, the lover she'd hurt...”

  “She ran away from Mars? From Chance?” He hadn't mentioned to me that Vesta had tried to get away from him.

  “The passion of a spurned lover is a dangerous thing,” said Misty. “And for one so unused to resistance as the Fire God, it was worse still. Vesta knew she and her love would be in danger if she was found out. And so she disguised herself in a mortal body, embodying herself in each successive generation, trying to hide from the Fire God. But despite having fallen in love with the other, she cannot deny her pull, her connection to her twin. Vesta and Mars are like two halves of a coin. They cannot exist without each other. It's all written down in the book, you know...”

  “The book!” I had almost forgotten. “But it's gone. Those people – they stole it...” I cursed myself for not having read the book earlier. Now it was gone – along with the information it contained – and it was all my fault.

  We were interrupted by Coach Matthews and Dr. Newton rushing through the door. Dr. Newton came first. “They're decent, Coach,” she called back, and Coach Matthews followed her.

  “Is, uh, everything ok?” Coach Matthews looked around. “I heard some commotion but didn't want to come in without, uh, female company. In case what was going on was just girl stuff.”

  “Someone came in here,” I said. “Attacked me – stole my...” I hesitated. “Stuff.”

  “Attacked you?” A voice came from the doorway. It was Antonio Cutter, leaning blithely against the door. “Did you recognize them? Mind if I come in?”

  I looked up in surprise. What was Antonio doing here?

  “No,” I shook my head. “They were wearing masks. Three of them.”

  “We should probably call the police...” Coach Matthews looked nervous.

  “Now, now,” Antonio said. “Do you really want word getting out that some attacker got past campus security?” He raised an eyebrow. “We wouldn't want that, would we?”

  “No,” Dr. Newton grumbled.

  “Listen, I'll notify the police chief – on the downlow. He's an old friend of mine – dines at the hotel every week.”

  “You're right,” Dr. Newton sighed.

  “Listen – I'll take Mackenzy to the chief myself and she can make a statement off-the-record. And then I'll get her straight home before her mother starts to worry. I'm a parent myself, Dr. Newton – I know what it's like to worry.”

  Dr. Newton agreed, and with that – before I could protest – Antonio Cutter led me straight away.

  Chapter 19

  “Thanks for bringing me home,” I said to Antonio as he escorted me into his shiny new convertible. “And – uh – tell Chance I said ‘hi’. I didn't see him today at school. Is he sick?”

  “Heck, no!” Antonio was blithely unconcerned. “He skipped today. Although he's been attending class more often than I would have guessed. Perhaps you're a good influence on him after all, Mackenzy.”

  I looked up in surprise as I noticed that we were parked in front of the hotel. Hadn't Antonio said that he was going to bring me to the police office?

  “Your mom can pick you up here,” Antonio said quickly. “Since she's on duty.” We entered his office and Antonio bade me sit in one of the elegant leather chairs pushed up against the wall. He closed the door behind us.

  “So, Miss Evers,” Antonio said, in a voice so like Chance's that it made me sit up straight. “Tell me more about this mysterious book...”

  I looked up at him in shock. “How did you...?” Unless Chance had managed to change form, too?

  Antonio started laughing. “Oh, Miss Evers, if you could just see the look on your face.”

  I flushed. “Chance?”

  “Not quite – but if I wanted to be, I'm sure I could take on that form. But I am not such a great god as he. I'm but a minor entry in the pantheon – cursed with trying to serve as guardian and mediator to fire and water alike. Pilumnus is my name. And I believe you know my charges already. The fire god – Mars. And the water god – Neptune.”

  “Neptune! Varun is..”

  “Of course, technically speaking, in their original incarnations Mars and Neptune are a lot older than I. So Chance uses that as an excuse to get out of his chores. Speaking of...” Antonio looked up. Chance was coming through the door.

  “I'm so sorry!” Chance raced into the room, enveloping me in his arms. “I should have been there to protect you. I was afraid if people saw me near you, they'd start to suspect – who it was I thought you were. I thought it'd be better if I stayed away.” He pulled me in for a kiss.

  “Then it's true,” Antonio said. “You think she's Vesta. Then what about the stones?”

  “What stones?” I turned to Chance.

  “Uh,” he said sheepishly. “I didn’t tell you. To undergo the sacred test, to fulfill the prophecy – you'll need the five hidden stones of Vesta. We've already found one. The book. The real book – not the false one of Jana's.” His voice faltered when he said her name. “We'll have to verify them. I'm not going to risk any mistakes this time.” He looked at me with worry in his eyes.

  “I'll call my men on the other sites,” said Antonio. “You know what they say in the hotel business, Miss Evers? Location, location, location. And it just so happens I've been scouting my locations precisely with Olympians in mind.”

  “If Mac really is Vesta,” said Chance, “the stones would come to her.” He turned to me. “They'd feel your presence. These aren't ordinary stones. Dig a hole in the middle of China and bury them there – it wouldn't matter. They'd come to you if your power summoned them. And leave i
f you repelled them. Such is the way of the stones. Like that book.”

  “But the book's gone!” I cried. “My attackers – they took it.”

  Chance and Antonio looked at each other gravely.

  “Whoever took your book must have tricked it into thinking he was of Vesta's line,” Chance said. “And that spells trouble for us. Whoever's powerful enough to do this..”

  “Would be powerful enough to use the book for his own ends.”

  “Or maybe the person who took it was the real Vesta!” I said. “Maybe it's not me.”

  Chance and Antonio looked concerned. “Who knows?” Chance said. “But either way – we're running out of time. Things are getting serious here. We need Vesta back if we want to stop the world from going under – only she can summon the sacred flame to stop the Erosion. Whether that's you – as I hope it is – or whether it's not.” Chance took my hands.

  As we touched, I felt the longing once again take hold. At once my body ached to be his queen, his love, his bride – to be who he said I was. I wanted it to be true; I wanted those visions, those callings, to be real. I wanted to make him happy, to end his suffering, to share in his love.

  “If you don't have the book,” said Antonio, “you should be safe. Leave the sleuthing to us, Mac – we don't want to drag you into this more than we already have. And Mac?”

  “Yes?”

  “Tell nobody what you saw.”

  And so I did what Chance and Antonio had said, trying to forget about the book and Vesta and the prophecy and magic. Part of me just wanted to run away – to focus on school and on my upcoming swim tournament – to be normal. Yet in Chance's absence I felt as if I were suffocating for lack of him, as if I needed his strong, lithe body beside me to be able to breathe.

  I hadn't seen much of Varun lately; ever since I'd met Chance by the Greek temple I felt that I wouldn't be able to face Varun without confessing to him that something was going on between me and Chance, and I couldn't bear the thought of seeing the pain in Varun's eyes.

  So when Varun came up to me right before the swim tournament, I greeted him with a mixture of happiness and trepidation.

  “It's been a while,” Varun said sadly, “I haven't heard from you at all. You haven't been returning my calls.”

  “Listen, Varun...” I sighed. How could I tell him that I had done just what Jana had done – fallen for his cousin, his rival? And yet I couldn't deny that I still had feelings for Varun, too. I remembered our first kiss by the beach so fondly; I craved Varun's gentle touch.

  “No, you listen,” Varun took my hands. “I know what's been going on between you and Chance. From the moment I learned about the book I knew there was a chance that you might be the real Vesta – and that there was a chance that he'd try to take you away from me. I can't blame you – Chance knows how to be irresistible to women.”

  “I didn't know what to say to you,” I admitted. “I loved the way things were going with us. I wanted them to continue. But with all this talk about Vesta and my destiny and my true love – suddenly everything else seems so...beside the point.”

  “Look, Mac, just because Chance thinks you're his goddess doesn't mean that you have to be.” Varun was holding my hands more tightly now. “Look at us, Mac. You can't deny that you feel something for me. Something strong. Something real. I felt it when we kissed. And whatever chemistry you have with...him...that doesn't mean you have to let him have you. You don't have to give in. Whether or not you're Vesta, you have a choice. And I know whatever Chance is saying to you sounds seductive now, but it could get you killed. And I don't want that.”

  “But if I am Vesta, whatever that means...”

  “Then you'll have to undergo a test. A test that's killed many girls before. And even if you pass, even if you are Vesta, that doesn't mean you have to go back to him. Chance may be trying to convince you that it's your destiny – but that's not true. Vesta's destiny is her own.”

  “But what about saving the world? The Erosion?”

  “She doesn't have to love Mars to do that,” Varun said seriously.

  “But why are you so attracted to me? Antonio Cutter told me that you're Neptune, god of water. What does a water-god want with a fire-girl like me – if I am a fire girl?” And then it hit me. I looked up in surprise. “Unless...”

  “Unless what?”

  “The seer told me that Vesta left Mars for another suitor – someone else who loved her. Was that you, Varun?”

  Varun looked uncomfortable. “It was a long time ago...”

  “Was it? The forbidden love that made Vesta leave Mars and come to earth...that made her...me...disappear?”

  “Yes,” Varun said sadly.

  “But if they were both fire...”

  “Opposites attract,” Varun began slowly. “Vesta and I could not keep apart. She loved Mars, but she found her destiny oppressive. She wanted to escape from the fate that had been decided for me – she wanted to make her own choice. She gave up some of her fire qualities and became more like me, more like the sea. We swam together; we watched the tide lapping on the shore together. We were so close...”

  “And you and she had a connection. A connection that maybe I felt too.” I shuddered at the recollection of our first touch, like warm waves passing through me.

  “Even if you're not Vesta,” whispered Varun, “I'm falling for you. I was serious when I said that. I've been avoiding you lately – not wanting to watch you give your heart to Chance. To risk your life for the test. But I'm sick of that. I want you, Mac Evers, goddess or no, and I want you to want me too.

  Chapter 20

  “Please,” Varun whispered. “Whatever Chance asks you to do, don't take the test. Don't risk it. It's too dangerous.”

  I shook my head. “But I want to know who I am,” I said. “Now that I know I could be Vesta, how could I live with not knowing if I am or not? If the test is the only way to prove it...and the only way to fix the Erosion, to stop what's happening.”

  But we were interrupted by the blowing of the horn. The tournament was about to begin. Varun kissed me quickly and then I headed out for the water.

  The taste of his lips – at once salty and sweet – remained upon my own as I dove, swan-like, into the water. The feeling of the cool chlorine on my skin was exhilarating. I could feel my skin, my body, my whole self responding to the touch of the water. It felt so natural to push through the water, to feel the delicious wetness on my skin. Was this what Varun had been talking about, I wondered? If Neptune had influenced Vesta, if he had managed to give her qualities of the sea as part of their romance, then was this another sign...?

  I looked up at Varun, who was staring at me from the bleachers, longing in his eyes. If what he had said was true, then was my love of the water another form of proof that I was Vesta, after all? And if I was Vesta, did it mean that Neptune, not Mars, was the one I had loved?

  “Go on, Mac!” Haven was looking as muscular and strong as ever in a deep blue swimsuit. “We're putting you forth to race the butterfly stroke.”

  “The butterfly stroke?” I looked up in surprise. “But I thought Cassie...”

  Haven squeezed my hand as she swam over to me. “Change of plan,” she said. “Your timing was two seconds better than hers. So we're switching the order.” She catapulted herself onto the side of the pool as I swam to my designated lane. “See that, Mac? You're making a name for yourself already. I've put a lot of faith in you. Don't let me down.”

  The horn blew once again and the race had begun. One by one, we all pushed off from the end of the swimming pool, propelling ourselves through the water. At once I began to feel a power coursing through me, strength pouring through my veins like ocean waves.

  You're born for this, Mac, a voice inside my head said. Swim!

  I felt myself start to swim faster – then faster and faster until the water was a mere blur around me, the other end of the pool coming closer and closer. I touched the side of the pool and then flipped bac
k for the second lap, breathless with adrenaline.

  “And – stop!” Haven called out my time. “Well done!” She knelt close to me. “One minute thirty-two seconds. Not bad for a newbie. Looks like Cassie's going to have some competition after all.”

  The races continued – I raced three times in all, each time feeling the exhilarating rush of the water all over my body.

  If I was really Vesta, I wondered, could my connection with water really be this strong – a connection almost as strong as my connection with fire?

  I didn't come top, of course – Haven had managed to win for the past two years running, and this tournament was no exception. But I ranked fifth on the island, a respectable showing for a new recruit, and received a small gold trophy for my trouble. Varun cheered loudest of all, calling out my name from the bleachers. He tore down from his seat when my name was announced, and thrust his arms around me.

  He leaned in to kiss me, but I pulled back. I looked around nervously, only to see what I feared: Chance was sitting, staring darkly at us, in the bleachers. As much as I hated to hurt Varun, I hated hurting Chance just as much. And hurt him I had, for to my dismay Chance rose and stalked off as Varun pressed his lips against mine.

  I sighed as I entered the locker room. It wasn't fair, I thought. Love triangles in movies meant one girl getting all the attention from two equally beautiful boys. But in the real world, I wanted more than anything to be able to make a choice, to stop tearing my heart in two.

  Yet my thoughts were interrupted when I entered the locker room. No sooner had I shut the door behind me than a figure flew at me, knocking me senseless against the floor. “Not again...” I groaned, turning to face my masked attacker. “You got what you came for – just leave me alone.”

  But the mask stared back at me silently. Two black masks – two attackers left.

  “At least show your faces,” I scowled. “Or are you too cowardly to show your face – to admit who you really are? If you want to kill me, at least do it unmasked.”

  But the only answer was husky laughter echoing through the room. The smaller of the two attackers rushed me, pushing me to the floor.