Jocelynn Drake - Dawnbreaker

Tonight, thirteen humans stood in the center of the grassy plaza, a mix of locals and tourists. They were arranged in a circle with their backs facing the interior of the circle. Each person’s left hand was tied to another’s right hand, keeping the circle locked in place. Their muffled sobs and pleading voices echoed off the surrounding stone walls and flew up into the cool mountain air. I felt no swell of pity for them. Their end would come quick. All that was needed was their hearts and some blood; the basic ingredients for any powerful spell.

Flexing my empty left hand nervously at my side, I tore my eyes from the human circle to Jabari. He was frowning. Something about this little scene was bothering him as well. I had hoped it was just me.

“It’s different,” I said. He didn’t reply, but his powers increased a notch, buffeting against my flesh. “Last time they had only one sacrifice; a woman. This time they have thirteen humans. Why?”

“They hope to summon more power this time,” Stefan said, walking over to stand behind me. “We defeated them once. They hope to avoid such a humiliation again.”

It almost sounded logical to me. More blood equaled more power, but why use thirteen? Why not two or five? Surely that would be more than enough. Thirteen. The number knocked around in my brain, teasing at some answer just beyond my reach. The number was significant. From a magic standpoint, twelve was a key number, but that was for a witch coven casting spells, not sacrifices. What’s more, my earlier check revealed that not one of the humans was a magic user.

“This is wrong,” I murmured, turning to look at Cynnia, who was hanging back. Her dove-white wings had been wrapped around her body, but now they were beginning to dissipate like grains of sand falling from her shoulders. “Do you know what is going on?”

“I—I don’t know,” she stammered, wringing her hands together. “I’ve never actually seen the ceremony for opening the doorway. I would never have expected that so many humans were necessary.”

“You expect her to actually tell you the truth? Betray her people?” Stefan snarled at me, taking a step closer, so he was nearly standing between me and the naturi.

“She’s helped us this far! She wants the same as we do—her sister caged! I’m willing to take any help I can get at this point.” Turning to look over at Jabari, I motioned with my head toward the plaza spread out before us. “We’ve run out of time. It’s time to act.”

“Mira,” Jabari rumbled in a low, warning tone.

I paused in the act of stepping onto the plaza as the naturi moved in front of each of the humans, short swords in hand. The screams and cries reached a fevered pitch. I raised my hands above my head, open and out, facing the night, but nothing happened. Had I truly reached this crossroad yet again? Just a few months ago I had been at Stonehenge and a woman was laid before me. The naturi were going to cut out her heart to break the seal that bound them. I killed her to stop the sacrifice. In Crete, I was prepared to do the same thing to three innocent humans, but I’d been too late. Now I stood on the edge of the plaza, the lives of thirteen innocent human beings in my trembling, bloodstained hands.

“Mira?” Danaus said, drawing my eyes back to his face. We both knew there was no saving the humans. They were dead whether by sacrifice or a stray arrow while we fought. “Do it quickly.”

With a scream of frustration, I called up the energy to me, tapping only the blood energy that I had used for most of my life. I didn’t want this fire to be tainted by the earth powers I had recently gained. If I was going to murder these people, it would be with my own abilities and the ragged remains of my soul.

The fire rushed into existence around the people, circling them for a moment. It happened so suddenly that their cries were instantly silenced. I could easily imagine them staring up at the yellow and orange flame in awe. I wanted to close my eyes. No matter how hot I made the flames, there was no way I could make it a quick, merciless death. They would suffer in their final minutes and would not know or understand that their deaths would save the human race.

Growling in pain and frustration, I moved my hands together, intending to close the circle of fire around them so it consumed the thirteen humans, but the flames never moved. I put more force behind it, pouring all of my energy into flames that crackled and snapped, but they never moved. However, six naturi with flowing blond hair stepped forward from the shadows. They waved their hands in unison and the flames disappeared as if I had never created them. I was outmatched.

Desperate, I was now willing to call on both the earth and the soul energy that flowed within me to finally end this standoff, but I doubted I would be able to take on six light clan naturi at once. I just wasn’t that strong. And besides, we were out of time.

The moment the flames disappeared, thirteen naturi stepped into position before the humans with swords in their hands. I turned to Jabari, desperate for any kind of suggestion. We had come too late, too unprepared, and too undermanned. We had failed.

The surge of power rocketed outward from the circle, slamming into my back. I stumbled forward under its force, colliding with Jabari, who took a couple of steps backward. I looked around to find several other nightwalkers picking themselves off the ground.

Twisting back to the plaza, I found the naturi carving the hearts from the humans. They carefully piled them a few feet away, while several others chanted over them in their sweet, musical language. As the last heart was placed on the bloody pile, a white light hovered in the air near the hearts. It looked as if someone had cut a hole in the air and was now pulling the seams apart. The door had been opened.

“Protect the triad!” Jabari shouted. He was finally ready to act. We stepped into the plaza as a group. Several naturi leapt away from the dead bodies and attacked, but the other nightwalkers maintained a wall of protection around us.

“What do we do?” I demanded, holding my sword so tight my hand began to ache.

“You do as you’re told,” Jabari said, standing directly behind me. Sadira moved off to my left shoulder, while Danaus stood at my right. I was about to comment that not one of them was close enough to touch me, but I soon discovered it didn’t matter.

Jabari’s powers hit me first, slamming against my spine like a sledgehammer. My body jerked and I heard my sword clatter against some stones on the ground. Sadira’s power swept through me next, filling my body. With their energy came their emotions, swimming through my brain. I was drowning in their anger and fear. I could sense their feeling of betrayal and their uncertainty. Danaus soon joined the nightwalkers in my brain, pushing a scream from my chest. From the hunter came an overwhelming sense of peace and confidence. He believed in what we were doing. I tried to cling to the feeling of peace but was soon dragged under by Jabari’s rage. He was fighting for control, sending more energy flowing through my limbs. I threw my arms out and my head fell back. My knees tried to buckle beneath me but I remained standing, crucified on the very air.

And then there was only light. I stood bathed in this beautiful, white light; brighter than fire, brighter than the sun. The door to the naturi realm.

Close the door.

The voice in my head was Jabari. Sadira was there, but I couldn’t hear her. Danaus was also on the current, silent and strong. I mentally reached out to touch the door, but the second I did, it splintered. The shards jumped across space, forming thirteen separate shafts of blinding light. It all clicked at that moment. The twelve symbols carved in the trees around the world had been markers for the doors, with the thirteenth being the main one at Machu Picchu. They needed thirteen humans to open thirteen separate doors.