Chapter 32

Thirty-Two

"Where to?" Lucien asked once the panic settled. We were on the road, on the highway in fact. So far, we hadn't been followed, but the guy in the broom cupboard was going to wake up eventually.

"We need to get my brother first," I said.

"Where is he?"

"I'm not sure. I'll need to reach out to him and see if I can find him."

"Reach out?"

"Through the Ether. Keep driving… let me see what I can do."

In truth, I wasn't sure what I could do. I didn't know how Max had reached me the way he had. It looked like he had used my aunt Persephone's amulet as a kind of focus. The more I thought about it, the closer I got to the conclusion that he needed it to concentrate his abilities.

That meant I already had the power within me to do what he had done, all I had to do was… think it. Want it. Will it into existence. So, with Max's face firmly held in the center of my mind, I drew my power out and closed my eyes.

I studied the mental image of his face as I held onto it, allowing memories of him to play out along my mental periphery. Max, I thought. Can you hear me? I could feel my own power reaching out of me, searching, racing across vast distances at the speed of thought, looking for the energy I had conjured in my head.

Looking for the boy whose skinned knees I had to clean up. The boy who couldn't keep his hands out of the pantry. The boy I knew was going to grow up to be a wild card and a heartbreaker… although, in truth, I may have been projecting that last thought.

Really, he had turned out a little meek, a little too scared of the world. That was why sending him away that night to fend for himself had been one of the worst things I could have done to him. But seeing him in the mansion earlier, an accomplished mage with a strong command over my aunt's amulet.

I had to give it to him.

He hadn't just survived out here in the wild—he had thrived.

"Bee?" I heard Max's voice rise up into the space between my ears.

I couldn't help but smile. "There you are," I thought.

"I can hear you so clearly… did you make it out?"

"I did. I finally got away from that house." I couldn't believe I was even thinking the words.

"So, it's over?"

"No… not yet. I have to come and get you, first, remember? Where are you?"

Max paused. "What's my name?" he asked.

"Your name?" I understood. "Right… do you really want to hear your full name again? It's more ridiculous than mine is."

"Just tell me my name."

"Alright. Your name is Maxwell… Axl Rose… Ethera."

Another pause. "And you say you hate your name?—"

"—I'm sorry?—"

"—I was named after a rock star dad liked. I don't even like Guns n' Roses!"

"Hey, what's wrong with Guns n' Roses?"

"Nothing! I just would've liked a say in the name they picked for me."

"I don't think that's how that works. Did I pass the test?"

"Yeah, you did. I'm still not going to tell you where I am, though."

"What? Why not?"

"Because I'm going to do you one better."

Something was happening. I felt our connection stretch, then quickly contract. "Max? What are you doing?"

Max didn't reply. There was a pulse of power from the other side of our link, I felt the rush of magic wash over me and through me; a pulse powerful enough to distort the car's electronics momentarily. Even Lucien turned his attention toward me, his eyebrows furrowed.

We both suddenly felt the car jolt, causing Lucien to grab hold of the wheel more tightly and wrestle the car back under his control. When he finally managed to steady us on the road again, he slammed the brakes, making the car lurch forward as it came to a stop.

"What happened?!" I shrieked, as I recovered.

Lucien turned his head. I turned mine too. There, sitting in the back seat of the car, was Max. He was looking right at me, and he had a smile on his face. But then he saw Lucien, and all the blood drained from his cheeks. He backed into the corner.

"What is he doing here?!" he yelled.

"Max!" I said, "Calm down, okay?"

"No!" he said, raising my aunt's amulet toward Lucien. "He's one of them! Why are you with him?!"

I unclipped my seatbelt and turned around in my seat. "Max, I need you to listen to me, okay? He's not one of them."

"Yes, he is! He's their son. I'm going to send him into the fucking Ether!"

"No, you're not. Max, the only reason I've made it out of that place is because of him. He had nothing to do with what happened to mom and dad, okay? Please, you have to believe me."

"How can I? After what he did!"

"He didn't do it!"

Max shook his head. "You've been lied to. These people killed our family, how can you be with him right now?"

"I wanted to tell you, but I didn't get a chance. Look, please, put the amulet down and let's talk about this. He's not going to hurt you."

Lucien knew not to speak. I could tell he wanted to, if only to help, but opening his mouth would have only made things worse. Lucky for all three of us, Max seemed to relax, at least a little bit. He slowly lowered the amulet, which I hadn't realized had been glowing in his hand. Max took a deep breath, exhaled, and settled into his seat.

"Thank you," I said.

Max only shook his head. "I can't believe this."

"I know. I wouldn't believe it either if I were in your shoes, but he's on our side."

"Why did you help her escape?" Max hissed. "Are you just going to turn us around and take us to your dad so he can finish what he started?"

"I have no intention of taking you back to my father's house, or turning you into him," Lucien said. "I promise you, I'm on your side… and I'm sorry."

"Save your apologies. I can get my sister and me out of here in an instant, all I have to do is think it."

Lucien nodded. "Hold onto that power. You may need it yet."

I turned my head and looked at Lucien. "What do you mean?"

"I told you, he'll hunt us down until he gets what he wants."

"The engine…"

"Exactly."

Lucien was right, we hadn't really escaped Mason Diaboli's wrath. As soon as he figured out we were gone, he was going to come after us like a rabid animal let off its leash.

We had to do something, and as much as I didn't like it, one thing came to mind.

"I hate this," I said, "But there's only one thing to do."

"What's that?" Lucien frowned.

"We have to destroy the Infernal Engine."

"Is that really the best idea?"

"I don't know. I've never even seen it, so I don't know if we can destroy it. But if that's what your father wants, we should destroy it… shouldn't we? We should try, anyway."

"He'll kill us. All of us."

"Maybe, but if we destroy the engine and get the hell out of here, eventually, he'll get sick and tired of hunting us."

"I think you doubt my father's resolve."

"Trust me, I don't. I've seen the lengths he's willing to go to get what he wants. We already gave him one powerful magical artifact—he can't get his hands on another one. Ever."

"You did what?" Max shrieked.

"It's a long story."

"We're stopped in a car in the middle of a highway, which we shouldn't be, by the way. But it seems like we have time?"

Lucien put the car into drive and we started moving again. Lucky for us, in the dead of night, not a single car had gone past us. Once we were on the road again, things settled a little. I clipped my seatbelt back on and leaned into my seat. Max did the same.

"Mason has a crown," I said, "We had to get it for him, or he was going to start hurting me to get what he wanted."

"Which was?" Max asked.

"You. He wants you, because you have the amulet, and he thinks the amulet can get him into mom and dad's vault. I know you don't like what's happening, and you're jumping into this cold, but you have to understand, everything I've done has been to protect you."

"Bee…"

"You're my little brother, Max. I'd do anything for you. Right now, though, I'm asking you to trust me, okay? When this is all over, I promise, I'll answer any question you have. But for now, just stay with me, and let's finish this."

Max paused. "Okay," he said, after a few seconds. He didn't sound convinced, but it was about as much as I was going to get out of him.

"We need to get to our mansion." I told Lucien. "We'll beat him to it, destroy the engine, and get out before he knows what's happened."

Lucien scanned the long road ahead. "I'm… not sure I know the way. Do you?"

"Oh… shit."

"Shit?"

"I've barely left my mansion in my entire life. I don't even know where we are, let alone how to get back on my own."

"That's not entirely true, is it?"

"Okay, I've used the amulet to get in and out, but I don't exactly have to follow any roads when I'm—" I turned around to Max. "That's how we'll get there! We'll ditch the car and use the amulet to get home! It'll give us a head start on figuring out how to destroy the engine."

Max looked at the amulet in his hand, then up at me, then over at Lucien. "Are you… sure bringing him home is a good idea?" he asked.

"Buddy, we went over this, didn't we?"

"I know… I just, I can't help it."

I stretched my hand out to him. "If you can't trust him, then trust me," I said, fashioning a warm smile. "We've got this."

Max reluctantly handed the amulet over, nodding. "I trust you," he said.

I took the amulet, feeling its power rush through me once more. It was a familiar power, like reconnecting with an old friend. This time, though, I knew my abilities had grown, and so did the amulet. It pulsed in my hand, sending little vibrations into my skin. Max had managed to use the amulet to transport himself into our car. I was now going to use it to get the three of us out of the car and into our mansion.

Send us home… for the last time.

Lucien didn't pull the car off the highway. Instead, he slowed to a crawl, then stopped. I held the amulet in one hand, channeled my power through it, and shut my eyes.

"Hold onto me," I said, "This is going to be wild."

"Maybe for you," Max said. "I'm a pro."

"We'll see about that," I added, and with a thought and a slight breath, the three of us were gone.