33.

“What is wrong with you?” Avalon asked half concerned, half pissed off.

He followed me immediately outside and didn’t let me get nearly as far away from the barn as I would have liked. The sun was warm despite the cool autumn breeze of October. The trees surrounding the farmhouse had turned to brilliant shades of orange and red. The fields had been fully harvested and made ready for the winter coming soon.

“I can’t be a part of this Avalon. I wish you would have given me some warning; maybe a head’s up, like hey we’re on our way to dig your grave,” I rolled my eyes and folded my arms defiantly.

“Ok, first of all. You would have known what we were doing if you would use your magic just an eency bit. Second of all, it was nice of me to give you the option, but you don’t really have a choice. And lastly, if you don’t join this, then we are all going to die!” Avalon was animated in his very characteristic dramatic way, I fought back a smile and forced myself to focus on the fact that his surprise attack, really just pissed me off.

“Stop being the self-righteous martyr,” I quipped harshly.

“And stop pining over the one guy that you can’t have, the one guy who is only using you, the one guy whose sole purpose is to kill everyone you love,” I closed my mouth sharply, not realizing it had been open. Tears welled up in my eyes and I watched Avalon flinch from remorse.

“I’m pretty sure he’s not the only guy using me; and I can promise you he’s not the only guy trying to kill everyone I love,” I could barely get the words out before tears began to fall down my cheeks.

“Except if I am the one who gets me killed, at least it will be on my terms. I’m not going to live in oppression under a violent dictator only to die of a horrible disease that could strike at any moment,” Avalon folded his arms the same way I fold mine, and I noticed the same defiant expression cross his face. I was kept in the dark so often that sometimes my biggest moments of revelation came through Avalon’s side of the argument.

“What about the using me part?” I asked timidly.

“Maybe I’m using you, well not you, but, fine, your magic,” he admitted. “But if I’m using you, it’s with your best interest in mind.” he gave me a playful grin.

“Sure it is,” I stuck out my bottom lip in a mock pout.

“It’s true. I’m not the only one who’s stronger when we’re together,” he turned to walk back into the barn; he thought he had won the argument. Please Eden, we need you. His voice was in my head, and I could feel, more than hear the desperation in his emotion.

“I’m not saying that I’m joining. But I will listen to the rest of your meeting,” he turned and bowed a little with his hands pressed together. I kicked a rock at him, sending it with extra force via magic and watched him duck out of the way just in time.

Instead of sitting down in my previous place I chose to stand in the back, hoping to remain anonymous. I knew that it was impossible since every person in the room was tuned into my magical current, just like I was tuned into theirs. Their lighter, brighter magic was unique and interesting. I felt their currents flow, each distinctive, almost illuminating their person. It was as if their blood was glowing from underneath their skin, only in an invisible way; like I could have seen it glow if I had held a black light up to them.

Avalon began the meeting by updating the group of twenty or so Immortals about the skirmish on the rooftop at Kingsley a few weeks ago. My cheeks burned hot as he recounted a little too in detail what went wrong and how lucky they were to get out of there discretely.

The five guys who were involved were all given pats on the back or some variation of a high five or fist pound. They were apparently all part of the reconnaissance team. Besides Avalon and Jericho, there were three other boys, all probably two or three years older than me. Avalon seemed to be the youngest and I found it odd that even though he was the youngest in the entire room he seemed to also be the leader.

Avalon then began to recount the positions of others all over the world. He named names and places I had never heard before. As small as this room of twenty appeared, it seemed there were hundreds of others all over the globe.

I had had as much trouble taking the Resistance seriously as I did the whole kingdom and monarchy thing, but it might be more major than I could actually imagine. The way Avalon talked it appeared as if these five boys made up the most skilled reconnaissance team, but there were several others around the world. Avalon and his boys were in Brazil like he said; only he wasn’t with his parents, but rather on a decoy and extraction mission.

Avalon continued to relay information and answer questions until the light began to soften outside the barn doors. I turned, a little bored, and a little lost to look at the beautiful sunlight outside. The sky had turned brilliant shades of orange, red and pink and the sun was a blazing ball of yellow as it set behind the rolling hills of the Nebraska plains.

A black sedan drove slowly across the gravel driveway and parked next to Avalon’s truck. A tall man, dressed nicely and donning a bowler hat stepped out of the vehicle and walked with purpose towards the barn. As he got closer I picked up on his magical current and recognized Principal Saint, or Amory. The image was vaguely familiar and I had the strangest feeling of de ja vu.

I turned back around and forced myself to pay attention to Avalon. Amory stopped next to me, pulling me into a side hug and kissed the top of my head. I was surprised at his familiarity and couldn’t help but feel a little uncomfortable. Avalon acknowledged Amory with a tip of the chin and a wide grin. I forced myself to relax and trust him.

“The trial is set for the 31st of October at the Judiciary Court’s Citadel. Oscar, Ebanks, Jett and Ronan will all be charged. Another trial precedes theirs, a girl named Lilly Mason. She is a shape-shifter charged with hiding her identity, attending Kingsley illegally and threatening the life of the Crowned Prince. She is not part of the Resistance, but in my opinion she is innocent,” Avalon’s latest update drew my attention back to the meeting.

“Will we try to extract her as well?” Jericho asked, and my heart fluttered with hope.

“We can try, but our first mission is to remove our members. Her fate is uncertain, but theirs will surely be execution,” I lost hope immediately, realizing I was the only one willing to help Lilly. I also realized I was the reason the other members of the Resistance were going to be tried.

“And when did you say the trial was? Holy Eve?” Angelica asked with a look of disgust across her face.

“Yes, I’m afraid only Lucan would find that ironic. After the trial there is an evening feast to begin the celebrations for the festival of All Saints. Some of you will be invited and expected to attend,” Amory interjected and all eyes turned towards him. I put two and two together and realized the 31st of this month was Halloween. “Conrad, Angelica, Terrance and I will attend the feast and leave the week before to make preparations for Avalon and his team. Jericho and the others will leave three days before the trial and connect with Ryder’s team once they arrive.”

“I will arrive last minute, because I have to take mid-terms,” Avalon rolled his eyes and gave Amory a disdainful glance.

“Avalon, we have to keep up appearances. Nothing must look out of the ordinary. You will travel alone directly after your last test. The tests will all be given by substitutes since the professors of Kingsley will all be required to attend the trial and festival.”

“How last is last minute?” one of the other members of Avalon’s team asked.

“I should arrive the morning of the trial, if all goes as planned. But we will not pull them until the night of the feast. We expect they will be found guilty for seditious war crimes and conspiracy against the king; in that case punishment is death. Our intel suggests that Lucan will wait to execute until All Saints Day to set an example, so we will infiltrate the prison on Holy Eve while everyone else attends the feast.”

“Surely the security will be enormous,” Angelica interjected, clearly worried about the plan.

“Yes, the entire Guard is expected to travel,” Amory took over again. “But the Crowned Prince is also expected to be in attendance and so the Guard will be split between Kiran, Lucan, the royal family and then the prisoners. I’m sure during the feast they will require extra security as well,” he cleared his throat as if forcing the words out; as if he wasn’t sure he believed them.

“So that will be our only opportunity?” the man Amory addressed as Conrad said solemnly.

“Yes, I’m afraid so,” Amory looked at Avalon with a type of longing I couldn’t define.

“So we better make it count,” Avalon said with more enthusiasm than his older counterparts. “I have full faith in my team, and Ryder and his team as well,” a plan spontaneously formed in my mind.

“I want to help too,” I blurted out, focusing on my own plan to rescue Lilly.

“No!” The entire room yelled at me. Twenty pairs of eyes stared at me as if I had just said the most absurd thing.

“I mean, I won’t mess anything up…. I promise,” suddenly, I felt like the outsider I was. Obviously everyone blamed me for this mission to begin with. I was the reason their friends sat in prison awaiting death. “I know it’s my fault that this mission is even necessary. But I think I can help…. I know I can help,” I tried to explain myself, hoping for a better response.

“I’m sure you could help dear,” Angelica looked at me with a deeply concerned expression and I didn’t understand her emotion. “But we couldn’t risk losing you, it’s bad enough your brother insists on going,” she turned to look at Avalon with the same pained concern.

“It’s not necessary Eden,” Amory put his arm across my shoulder again and I felt him try to use his magic to calm me down. I shrugged it off, persistent that I would go. “Really, our teams are trained in this type of mission; you would only slow them down.”

“But Avalon gets to go. Wouldn’t I make him stronger?” I asked, feeling naive.

“You cannot go,” Amory replied firmly. “It’s too dangerous. I won’t allow it.”

“Can’t I just tag along then? I could learn from this trip. I won’t get in the way,” I pled my case, desperate to save Lilly.

“Enough. You cannot go. That is the end of it,” Amory said quieter, but with scary finality.

This time I kept my mouth shut, silently brooding, watching the other members of the resistance nod in agreement with Amory. I knew I was wearing a scowl, frustrated at my lack of independence. It would have been nice to be treated as an equal, just once.