Marks of the Past - 24

Chapter 24

My palms were so sweaty I was sure that I’d drop the keys and get caught long before I found where James was holding my family and the Shadows. Although he’d said I was free to take them, he obviously hadn’t told his staff yet and I really didn’t want to be seen. 

Especially because I was still trying to take in all that had just happened. 

I needed a moment to breathe before I could try and find the others so I ducked into one of the many alcoves of the halls. I slumped against the wall, head in my hands.

My mind was a mess of thoughts and emotions, a pit of chaos that I had no means of sorting through. A thousand questions ran through my head. Why had James come clean to me? What prompted his change of heart? Why did I act the way I did? Did I like James, or did I like the idea of liking him? 

I allowed myself only a moment to collect myself, forcing all of my unanswered questions to the back of my mind for later - or never. 

Then I was back on my feet, trying to picture where in the mansion I was. Where could James possibly keep half a dozen people? It would have to be big enough to accommodate all of them but secure enough that they couldn’t escape. 

A memory of my stay flashed before me. Anton crashing to the floor as he stopped breathing. The feeling of hands on my arms, ushering me away right after the proposal. The dining room was large - probably meant to seat the entire Council if needed. There were no windows - only chandeliers provided light. It was also directly connected to a tiny bathroom. 

Sure enough, when I reached the large doors that marked the dining room, they were locked. Using James’s keys, I unlocked the door and it opened with a soft pop.

The room was dark when I stepped inside but a moment later the lights flickered on. Sleepy faces stared up at me for less than a second before suddenly I felt arms around my waist. 

“Leila! Leila!” Lexi and Liam’s voices mashed together in a perfect harmony as they wrapped me in a tight hug. I let their arms surround me, the world dropping away for a moment and leaving me free of worry. I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed them. 

When they finally stepped back I noticed that they looked more filled out than they had the last time I’d seen them - which was expected considering they’d spent two weeks or more under James’s care. He’d even given them new clothing apparently, and it smelled like they’d showered recently. That was better than I could say for myself. 

My mother stood behind them, her eyes wide with shock as her lips broke into a grin. She didn’t hug me, but I could tell she wanted to by her nervous wringing of her hands. 

The Shadows appeared too, looking slightly disheveled but otherwise unharmed. 

“See,” Jonah said, voice radiating both relief and something more that sounded almost like he’d broken. “I told you that she’d come for us.” 

Chelsea crossed her arms, but she was shaking a bit. Rave was practically bouncing up and down. And Nik … 

“Are you okay, Leila? You look upset.” And he sounded worried though I didn’t point it out. 

“I’m fine,” I lied. “I’ll explain everything later, but right now we have to go.” 

“You owe us a long explanation,” Chelsea demanded, planting her feet on the ground. I stifled a groan. 

“We don’t have time for this, Chelsea.”

She simply shook her head. “Ghosts know we don’t. How in the world did you get the keys to the dining room? What did you do with James? He said you’d left us.”

“He talked to you?”

“That’s not the point and we both know you’re just avoiding my question.”

“Well your question is gonna have to wait because we have bigger issues on our hands than your confusion.”

With that, I turned and started walking away before anyone could see the tears springing to my eyes. I could hear the footsteps of the others following closely behind me, and they weren’t exactly quiet. 

I slowed my pace to match Nik’s. “We’re too conspicuous with this many people grouped together. Do you know your way around the property?”

“No, but Rave does,” Nik answered. “She managed to slip in and out once.”

I found Rave in the group as we marched down the halls and quickly explained to her what I needed her to do. She gave a small nod before grabbing my mother, Lexi, and Liam and pulling them in the opposite direction. 

“Where are they going?” hissed Jonah, turning to watch his sister disappear into the shadows. 

“We’re too loud and Leila’s family is of the utmost priority,” Nik said, an air of determination in his voice. I had to admire how fast he’d already formulated a plan - logic definitely was his strong suit. “Our job is to distract any patrolmen we see.”

“That’s not too hard,” Chelsea grumbled. “Have you noticed we’re unarmed and outnumbered?”

I held up the knife. “Not unarmed, and not outnumbered. There were only two patrolmen that I saw on my way in.” She mumbled something about technicalities under her breath. 

“Speaking of which,” Jonah continued as I pressed myself against a wall before peering around a corner. “How exactly did you get in here and steal James’s keys without getting caught?” 

I shrugged, unsure of if I really wanted the Shadows to know the truth. “I got lucky, I guess.”

Nik snorted. “Luck has nothing to do with it. Jonah, Leila obviously spoke to James.”

Was it really that obvious? I forced back a blush and kept my focus on plotting a clear path outside. The easiest route would probably be through a kitchen window, so I started moving in that direction. 

“She’s not objecting,” Chelsea noted. 

“Because I’m busy trying to make sure we don’t die,” I retorted, checking to see if the kitchen was clear. It was empty so I began to pry open the window. 

Nik grabbed the bottom edge of the window and pulled up. It slid open easily. 

I went through first, followed by Nik, Chelsea, and Jonah. As we were pulling Jonah through, he started mumbling, “It’s alright to tell us if you’re in love, Leila, dear. We are your friends after all.” I wanted to slap him for the emphasis he put on love, or at least correct him for his stance as my ‘friend’. 

“She’s ignoring us,” Chelsea whispered, a small note of pleasure in her voice. 

“Am not,” I argued softly. “Your theories are just so outlandish that I don’t feel the need to prove them wrong.” The three Shadows shared a look. “Oh, shut up.”

The kitchen window let out into a frozen flower bed filled with dead leaves that crunched under my boots. It was impossible to tell if any patrolmen were around based on my position, so I had to guess based on instinct. 

Pressing myself against the cold brick of the wall, I waited until a patrolman walked by a few yards away. He swiveled with his lantern but didn’t seem to be paying much attention otherwise because he completely missed us. I heard Chelsea struggling to stifle a snort and shushed her before darting out to the path. 

I’d thought that maybe if we left right after the patrolman walked by we’d have about ten minutes before the next round passed through. 

And apparently someone else had thought of that too and sent another patrolman behind the previous one. I didn’t have anywhere to go now so I raised my knife, prepared to threaten the man if necessary. 

Only he wasn’t alone - he was flanked by another man and a woman in robes that identified them as magicians. Probably one that specializes in physical and the other in mental magic. 

I raised my arm to defend myself but the robed man was at my side just a moment later. His fingers brushed my neck and I felt my pulse drop. I stumbled on the path as my heart rate nearly plunged me into unconsciousness. On my way down, I grabbed for the man’s legs and heard a thump as he hit the ground beside me. 

Momentarily stunned, all I could hear was the soft gasp of the patrolman as he was attacked by a laughing Chelsea. 

I crawled to my feet, rubbing my temples and trying to get my own magic to work. Maybe I could pull the same trick I had earlier on the patrolmen and knock them out so we could escape… 

Pain flared in my leg in the same place I’d been stabbed. A feral shout burst from my lips as I crumpled to the ground. Warm blood was soaking through my pants and staining the snow red. A few feet away I could see the robed man’s fist clenched as he pulled the blood from body. 

The world turned red on the edges and I struggled to stay awake. I think the fire in my leg was what saved me from the darkness. 

“Help,” I croaked, hoping someone would hear. 

I think Nik did hear me because a few moments later the pressure dropped and I felt my wound lessen in pain just a little bit. 

Nik was bending over me, hands hovering at my leg as he searched for something he could use as a bandage. I offered up the sleeve of my new coat and my dagger. He ripped the fabric and began tightening it around the cut. 

“He reopened the stab wound,” I mumbled, struggling into a sitting position. 

Nik gave a dull laugh. “Yes, I could see that. You’ve lost a lot more blood than you should’ve, though.”

“He was pulling it from me.”

Nik frowned and the world blurred a bit. I bit my lip, the pain keeping me awake. Stay conscious. “Where are Jonah and Chelsea?”

“Tying up the patrols,” he answered. “We didn’t have it in our hearts to kill them.” 

That I could understand. Everytime I almost let the darkness take me, I saw Aron’s face and the blood pouring from his chest. I wasn’t ready to face that yet, maybe not ever. 

“Where are you staying?” he asked, probably to keep me talking. 

“First of all, I can probably walk,” I said before he could protest. Nik didn’t respond so I continued. “As for the house - it’s somewhere in the housing district, middle class. Chelsea might know.”

“Chelsea?” Confusion was etched across his features. “Why would Chelsea know?” 

“Help me up, will you?” I interrupted, ignoring his question. But when I tried to get to my feet, the world nearly crashed down upon me. My vision returned and I was still on the ground. There was so much blood… 

I averted my gaze, trying to focus on anything else. 

My eyes caught movement in one of the windows of the mansion instead. It was sudden, I was surprised I’d seen it. Just a shadow shifting, but enough to tell me I was being watched. 

If the figure was James like I was assuming, that meant he most likely knew I was injured. And since I definitely needed a physician, James was my best bet for one. 

So I waved at him. 

Nik glanced upwards at the manager and immediately grabbed my wrist, practically spitting with anger. “Leila, what are you doing? Do you want us to die?” 

James was gone from the window now - assuming it was him in the first place. 

“I’m not going anywhere without a doctor,” I pointed out, wincing as Nik finally released me. “Besides, James is on our side now.

Nik scoffed. “Now you’re hallucinating from blood loss.” 

“I’m not,” I protested. “Get the others and I can explain.” 

“Explain what? You’re not yourself, Leila, we need to get you back to somewhere safe - wherever you ran off to before.”

“Nik,” I hissed, finally catching his attention. “I’m not going anywhere. You and Jonah aren’t going to be able to carry me and find Rave and my family. James will call for a medic - he might even have one on hand - and once I’m stitched up I can get you guys somewhere safe.”

He was definitely confused but I wasn’t sure how much longer I could hold on before passing out. “Talk to me. Keep me awake.”

“Are you up for a game of answer-my-questions-for-ghost-sakes?” 

I glared at him. 

It didn’t matter either, because a few seconds later I heard the pounding of footsteps on the stones. Chelsea and Jonah rounded the corner, each of them holding a knife to someone’s throat. 

James and the medic. 

“Oh, good, she’s still awake,” James muttered, failing to sound indifferent. His eyes met mine and the only emotion I could decipher was relief. 

The medic was the same one as before - Doctor Turner. For a moment he looked appalled to find a young girl lying in a pool of blood, but he quickly masked his horror. He reached out as if to help me but Chelsea slapped his arm with her free hand. 

“We found these two trying to sneak up on you guys,” Jonah said, his voice with a sharp edge to it. He pressed his knife closer to James’s neck. “Stole the knives off of ‘em.”

“Leila’s delirious,” Nik interjected before I could say anything. “The blood loss is getting to her.”

“Let me help,” the doctor offered, choking on his words. 

Chelsea laughed without humor. “Oh, so when you get close to heal her, you can kill her? I don’t think so.”

“They’re here to help,” I interrupted. 

Nik rolled his eyes. “She’s been saying that she won’t go anywhere without a doctor, which is ridiculous-”

“If she walks anywhere with that leg bleeding like that then she might lose it,” Doctor Turner corrected. For once, I was glad someone was such a book nerd. It reminded me a bit of Kyle in a way… “She might already be dealing with a permanent limp.” 

I bit my lip. A permanent limp? I hadn’t been expecting that. Maybe I should have let myself pass out… 

“I can fix her,” Doctor Turned repeated. “Please, just let me help.”

Chelsea and Jonah shared skeptical glances before Chelsea released her prisoner. The doctor flocked to my side and immediately pulled a small kit from inside his coat. Nik took a step back as the doctor set to work. 

I cried out as something jabbed into my side, sending both Nik and Chelsea into alert mode. The cry turned to a curse when I felt the pain in my leg slither away. 

Blinking in surprise, I turned to Doctor Turner. “You fixed it that quickly?”

He held up a syringe and I winced at the sight. “No, I used a numbing serum so you won’t feel the pain since you insist on staying conscious.”

Technically I hadn’t insisted, but I was glad that I didn’t have to be put under. 

“What do I do with James?” asked Jonah, his knife still up against the other boy’s throat. 

“Can I kill him?” Chelsea piped. 

“No,” I answered, maybe a little too quickly. “I … I promise he won’t try to hurt us. Right, James?” I sent him a meaningful look and he shrugged. 

Jonah cautiously let go of him, as if expecting James to whirl around and attack him. But James simply brushed off his coat and straightened his collar. “I can take you to Leila’s safe house,” he said. “I’m just waiting for Doctor Turner to finish.”

Nik pondered this for a moment before turning to the other Shadows. “Chels, see if you can find a stretcher of some sort that we can drag Leila on. And Jonah, go find your sister.”

They listened to him obediently and I could tell James was silently admiring Nik’s work. In another world, they may have been friends. The thought of how alike they were surprised me in a way. 

“I’m going to need to cut away some of the fabric from your pants,” the doctor said, snapping me out of my thoughts. 

“That’s fine,” I mumbled, wondering how much was some. 

I made the mistake of glancing down just to see how everything was coming along and immediately had to look away again. The doctor had used a knife to slice away a few inches of fabric - just enough so he could see the wound. It looked as though the man had torn it open with his fingers instead of magic. 

James was at my side before I could register that he’d moved, gripping my fingers tightly in his hands and giving a soft squeeze. “It’s going to be okay.”

I wanted to scoff, to laugh in his face and tell him it wouldn’t be. A limp, the doctor had said. The thought bothered me more than it had any right too. I’d foolishly hoped that when Mark died he might take his scar with him and I could be normal. Now, I might be branded as a cripple for life. I didn’t trust myself to speak, though, so I kept my mouth shut. 

Chelsea returned a few minutes later, eyeing James warily. In her arms were several blankets and what may have been curtains. If James was bothered by this, he didn’t show it. 

Doctor Turner pronounced me “done” a little while later, though he cautioned me not to use the leg for another few days. He offered to help find another physical magician, but I wasn’t sure that any magicians would want to help me since I was a known fugitive. 

Rave and Jonah appeared a few moments later, my family in tow. My mother’s face fell when she took in the blood, her hands flying to her mouth. 

“Ghosts, what happened?” 

James took a step back, wringing his fingers as my mother took his place. 

“I’m fine,” I said. “Just reopened an old wound. Doctor Turner fixed it - I just need to rest a bit.”

She didn’t seem satisfied with the answer but Nik placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “I promise your daughter is fine. It’s just a cut.”

“A deep cut,” mumbled Doctor Turner under his breath. I shot him a glare and he closed his mouth. “Right, my work here is done. Try to find a physical magician.” He was gone a moment later. 

“Leila isn’t supposed to walk,” Nik explained after the doctor had disappeared completely. “So we’re going to have to carry her to wherever she’s staying - which she refuses to tell me.”

“I don’t know,” I answered at the same time as James muttered, “106 Applewood Lane. Fourth house on the left, blue door.”

He coughed when we all turned to look at him. “It’s good to have information on your enemies.”

“Speaking of which, you’ve done enough,” Nik said, his voice cold. “You don’t think you’re coming with us, do you?”

James looked to me for an answer. His eyes searching my expression for what to say. I personally wanted him to return with us but I knew it was already going to be chaotic enough with Kyle and Simon there - which was part of the reason I’d held off on telling the others the location of the safehouse. 

“I’ll accompany you to the house,” James decided at last. 

If Nik wasn’t happy about this agreement, he didn’t show it. I guessed he probably wanted more hands to help with dragging me down the streets. 

It took a bit of maneuvering to get a blanket underneath me. Chelsea chose the largest one - I caught James biting his lip as she dropped the others to the ground. I would’ve been happy to limp back to the house but James, Jonah, and Nik insisted on taking separate corners of the blanket to lift slightly off the ground. As for the fourth corner… 

“I can handle it,” my mother protested as Nik tried to persuade her that Rave could handle the weight. “Leila’s my daughter, and besides, the kids love Rave.”

Lexi and Liam did seem to enjoy Rave’s presence. They danced around her legs, probably just glad to have someone quiet to listen to their incessant chatter. She didn’t seem to mind either. 

“What are you going to do about the witnesses?” Chelsea asked James as we set off through the garden. 

“Witnesses?” my mother asked. 

“It’s nothing,” I assured her, though I caught her glancing at my leg. The bandage that Doctor Turner had fastened around the wound was already growing red, though I still couldn’t feel anything. 

“They’ll find a fair amount of money in their accounts if they keep silent,” James answered without looking back. 

Nik chuckled. “I didn’t know you had a dark side.” 

James shrugged in response. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me.” I couldn’t help but think that comment was meant for me.

It was about a fifteen minute walk back to the house from James’s mansion. We kept to the backroads, just in case the Whip was active and there were tourists out and about. Nik and Jonah took turns complaining about my weight, something I ignored but my mother found incredibly offensive. Liam and Lexi somehow managed to tire themselves out so Chelsea and Rave resolved to let the twins ride on their shoulders. What an odd group we made. 

I really wasn’t expecting to get the reaction I did when we finally arrived at the house. 

Simon and Kyle were on the porch, sipping hot tea from their mugs under the dim lantern lights. As we approached, they made no move. 

They didn’t have to because the Shadows rushed forwards, leaving James and my mother to support my weight. Lexi and Liam slid to the ground and hovered beside my mother’s waist as we watched the happy reunion between the Shadows and Kyle. 

Until Chelsea caught sight of Simon. 

Then there was only blood.

Author's Note

This chapter was a lot longer than expected (sorry about that, but I had to rethink a lot of choices concerning plot). I'm estimating about five more chapters at the most, so stay tuned and enjoy!