Apprentices: New Moon

Danger Spreading

Cyrus doesn’t go easy on me. He never does. But that’s what I love about him. He pushes me to the limit to pull out the best in me. I can barely breathe, by the time we’re done, but I’m still smiling anyway.

The whole Headquarters is suddenly bustling with noises, making me suspect that something’s going on. I can tell the same thing is going through my boyfriend’s head, because he starts looking around the place, trying to find someone he can get information from.

I find them before he does. I grab his hand and pull him straight towards my aunt, who’s holding some papers in front of Hugh’s face. They’re exchanging words rapidly, making me wonder if they’re fighting. But they look too worried for that.

As we get close enough to hear their words, my face falls. “… send groups out! If they continue at this rate, soon there will be no humans left to protect!” she snaps. I blink in surprise, feeling Cyrus tugging me forward, because I’ve stopped walking altogether.

“Come on, let’s see what’s going on,” he murmurs in an encouraging way, finally making me move forward alongside him. I take a deep breath, not hearing Hugh’s response to aunt Marion’s words, because he’s already staring our way with a deadly serious gaze. And so is she.

They speak up before Cyrus even asks them anything. Actually, they both take a breath at the same time, then grow quiet as they look at each other. I don’t know how they agree to who’s going to say it, but I guess they can talk through eye contact now. Ooh. Dangerous territory.

“The soulthieves have started to attack cities. Massively. The victim photos are now coming in more rapidly, we receive about a hundred every five minutes,” Hugh informs us, making my face fall, while Cyrus lets out an undecipherable sound.

We share a moment of silence, because the two of us are too stunned to say anything, while aunt Marion and Hugh are probably realizing that this means the whole world is now in danger. Not just ours. “The humans … They have no idea what’s coming at them. They can’t see the damn monsters,” I think out loud, making my aunt nod.

I turn to Cyrus, who seems to be coming to the exact same conclusion that I’m coming to. I can see it by the look that’s starting to take over his face. In the next moment, he frowns. “We can’t leave them unprotected. It’s not … It’s not right,” he murmurs.

“So, you understand what we need to do,” Hugh claims slowly, trying to make sure that they’re on the same wavelength. Cyrus nods with a clenched jaw, while I draw in a sharp breath, not knowing what this actually means.

My aunt stares at me in a way that I can’t understand. Then, she looks at Cyrus in a desperate way. Like she’s trying to ask him something. He swallows nervously, then focuses his gaze on me. “Eva … We need to have a word,” he declares. “In private,” he then adds, leaving me completely confused.

“Huh?” I respond, but I’m too late. He’s already dragging me away from Hugh and my aunt. As I turn my head over my shoulder, I can see them staring after me. My aunt looks completely pale, while I can’t figure out why they’re all acting so weird. “What’s going on? Where are we going?” I ask my boyfriend again, while still letting him lead me away.

“Somewhere private. I’ll explain everything,” he responds, then glances at me like only seeing my face pains him. Okay, I get that this is bad. I get that the non-supernatural folks are now in danger too, but what is making them all act this way?

Still, I don’t say anything and let Cyrus lead me out of the Headquarters, then drag me into a small cabinet. He sits me down on the only chair, while he plops himself on the desk. I stare at him in expectation, hoping that this isn’t the moment when he tests my patience. Because if he chose this out of all times, I’m going to lose it.

“You need to understand something. I’m the leader of the warrior witches, but I don’t mend much into their internal affairs. I give out the general order and they deal with the rest,” he begins, making me frown.

I take a deep breath to respond, but he silences me by simply shaking his head. I shut my mouth and watch him with wide eyes, not knowing what he’s going to tell me now.

“The human world needs to be protected. I have to give out the order for field work. I have no idea how many warrior witches will be necessary to keep the soulthieves at bay, but I’ll have to … sacrifice some. I’m not going to lie to you. This is a situation unlike any other, ever before in my life. I don’t know who’s going to make it out alive and I don’t know who-”

“Cyrus,” I interrupt him, feeling my heart racing inside my chest. But I understand. I know what he’s trying to say and I know he’s trying to justify what he needs to do. He stares at me without saying a word, while I shake my head. “I understand that you have to do this. And I’m sure everyone is going to do whatever is necessary to ensure the safety of our own and the human world, too. Including my aunt,” I add.

He lets out a long breath, closing his eyes for a moment. “I really thought things would start to get better. We’ve started to prepare for a battle, things were going better … And now this. I didn’t see this coming at all,” he tells me as he opens them again. In that moment, his gaze gives away how many years he’s actually hiding behind his young physique.

“Hey, take a good look at me now,” I speak up, making him raise his eyebrows in surprise. “Do you see how terrified I am? But I can’t show it. If I start showing it, I won’t do anything. I’ll run away and kidnap you. Then, we’ll live on a secluded island somewhere close to Antarctica and away from this mess. But that’s not life. I know that we have to fight. So, don’t apologize for the moves you need to pull in order to get us closer to victory,” I conclude.

He draws in a sharp breath, then starts nodding. “Yeah …” he trails off, his nodding getting a little firmer. “Yeah, you’re right. But it doesn’t get any easier. Not even after two thousand years,” he remarks, making me sigh.

I stand up on my scared-ass wobbly feet, hoping that he doesn’t notice how terrified I am. Then, I put my arms around him and nod in an empathetic way. “I can’t even begin to imagine how it feels. But I know that if we don’t make the necessary sacrifices now, we’re already doomed from the beginning,” I murmur.

He nods, then lets out another long breath. “You’re taking this way better than I thought you would,” he admits, making me offer him a small smile.

“Because you taught me how to stay strong and handle things, instead of cowering in fear or running away from my problems,” I tell him, finally making his serious face light up a little. Before he’s able to say anything in response, I kiss him.

I pour everything I feel into him. All my anxiety, all my fears and worries, the sacrifice that I feel like I have to make … I let him know it all. I have enough of hiding. When we pull apart, we lean our foreheads together, silently enjoying each other’s company.

“I’ll do everything I can to ensure that your aunt stays here. I can’t promise you anything. But I’ll at least try to make it happen,” he murmurs after a few moments of quietness. I let out a long breath, nodding.

“I know you will,” I murmur in response.

A few minutes later we’re already back in the Headquarters and I’m trying my best to find my aunt. However, she doesn’t seem to be anywhere around. Like the earth opened up beneath her and swallowed her whole.

We do, however, get to Hugh. I don’t waste any time to voice my question. “Where’s my aunt?” I want to know, hoping that I’m not already too late. He sends me a confused look, then glances at Cyrus like he’s trying to check that I’m okay.

Finally, he turns back to me and says: “She’s just taking a break. I don’t know where she went.” I nod and thank him, then already run out of there. Even if he doesn’t know, I might. There’s a spot where we spent some time lately, when we tried to move away from everything. If she’s thinking about what her future will look like, I’ll surely find her there.

“Eva, where are you going?” I hear Cyrus calling after me. I turn around, sending him a reassuring gaze. He deserves an explanation.

“I’m going to go find her. Don’t worry, I won’t do anything reckless, I just want to talk to her. Wait for us here, okay?” I call out, hoping that he won’t be offended that I don’t want him there for the conversation I want to have with my aunt. But he understands.

He nods in confirmation, and I already turn around to go looking for her.