Summoning Destiny: A Divine Resonance Novelette Read online

  “Masku Emuq,” I murmured.

  With a scrape of wood against wood, the column rolled and slid in the headboard wall, revealing a metal ladder leading down. I sucked in a deep breath, gripped the rungs, and stepped on it.

  “The words again.”

  “Masku Emuq.”

  The column slid back to its original place, leaving me in darkness. After a few second, a soft orange glow emanated from thirty feet below. I climbed down and landed on a stone floor. Dust permeated the air, creating an itch in the back of my throat. I glanced up at the ladder tunnel and tried not to cough.

  Here’s hoping this was a well-kept secret.

  I turned around and blinked. In the center of the room stood a circular dais surrounded by six candelabras with flickering light. Speaking the words must have lit the candles. That was handy. A large oak table stood against the back wall, cluttered with an assortment of bottles and jars along with a thick book that looked like it belonged in a museum.

  “What is this place?” I asked.

  “A secret summoning chamber for the Opportunist and his family.”

  My heart did a quick patter. Dominic mentioned a ritual to summon the Fates. Could it be here?

  “Yes,” Tyche whispered.

  I swallowed and rushed towards the table, then snatched up the book. I flipped it open, scanning the pages. If I could summon the Fates, I could find the true killer and free Dominic. Could, being the keyword. I’d only been studying this stuff for a few weeks. Did I have the skill and the power to call them? If something went wrong, they could eat me alive.

  I glanced up at the ceiling. If I didn’t succeed, those witches and warlocks would find me. They’d put Dominic and me through some sort of trial and find us guilty. I doubted we’d serve any jail time either.

  Ready or not, I had to summon the Fates, and soon, before the High Council found my hiding spot.

  It took me two hours to find the ritual and read through it enough times to understand what I had to do. I stood before the summoning circle with a small wand made completely from some sort of black crystal. I’d found it on the table among the jars. My pulse quickened and my foot tapped against the ground almost of its own volition. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Here went nothing.

  I pointed the wand to a spiral symbol carved in the center of the circle. “I conjure you Fates, by your names Moirai and Parcae. You who are Three in One. By Clotho, Lachesis, Atropos. By Nona, Decima, Morta.”

  The torch at the bottom left flared from orange to green

  “Come Norns without causing harm to me, body or soul, nor causing damage to these books or anything else that I use. I command you by your names Urðr, Verðandi, Skuld.”

  The flame of the bottom right torched blazed green.

  “Come, therefore I command you, without delay. By your names Sudice, Sudičky, Suđaje, Rodzanice, Narecznice, Sudiczki, Matres. Obey my call and do not depart before our bargain has been struck.”

  The torch opposite of the circle blazed up, its flame shifting to green. Smoke coalesced out of the air and filled the room, obscuring everything except the circle and me. The candles sputtered and flared in rapid succession, and shadows flickered and danced within the circle. They grew and began to take the shape of three figures. The smoke cleared and the flames brightened. Three women stared out at me from inside the circle.

  I couldn’t tell their age. One second they appeared barely out of adolescence and in another, old and decrepit. Even their skin tone changed, darkening and lightening in an instant. Their hair remained the same, long and flowing, one blonde, one red, and one black.

  “So presumptuous to call us,” the blonde said in a melodious voice.

  “As if she doesn’t know we are beyond daimons.” The redhead chuckled.

  “She doesn’t know what we are, truly. But she is desperate.” The black-haired one turned her attention to me. “Aren’t you, Ava Valentine, daughter of the witch Cheryl Leray?”

  Moisture evaporated from my mouth and I swallowed. Cheryl Leray? Had that been my birth mother’s name?

  I couldn’t waste this summoning asking about that.

  “I wouldn’t have summoned you, but I’m out of options,” I said.

  The black haired one smiled. “She doesn’t wish to be distracted from her task.”

  “Admirable,” the redhead said.

  “Tell us what you wish, witch child,” the blonde one said.

  I licked my lips with a quick nervous flick of my tongue. “I need the identity of Gabriel Rizel’s true murderer to be revealed to the Council.”

  “Interesting,” the blonde said. “The murderer is on the High Council.”

  “He wishes to wear the crown,” the redhead said. “However, the Rizel line stand in his way.”

  He. Well, that ruled out Larissa.

  “And will continue to do so, if we agree to assist you,” the black-haired one said. “We will do so for a price.”

  Here came the bargaining. What was I willing to give up to save Dominic and myself? The council already planned on blaming me as well. Whatever the Fates wanted wasn’t as bad as losing my life.

  “What do you want?” I asked.

  The blonde gave a thin-lipped smile. “You shall marry that man in your thoughts.”

  “And bear his child,” the redhead said.

  “And by your blood, the Rizel line shall fall,” the black haired one said.

  “I…what.” My mouth dropped for a moment. “How is that even better? You’re saying Dominic dies either way?”

  “No, child,” the blonde said. “It won’t be your hand.”

  “Or your child’s,” the redhead murmured.

  “The merging of Leray and Rizel shall bring forth the one gifted as she has always been. And she shall be the last Rizel,” the black-haired one said. “Do we have a deal?”

  It felt like the Universe was waiting with bated breath on my decision. The problem was, I didn’t know what significance my choice held. Why did it matter? Dominic needed me now. I had to let the future handle its own problems.

  “All right,” I said. “Deal.”

  The black haired one smiled. “Good girl.”

  “We knew you’d come through.” The redhead nodded.

  “As if she could do any differently,” the blonde said.

  “Wait,” I said. “You’re saying it really wasn’t my choice?”

  “An accord had to be reached,” the blonde said. “Isn’t that how your witchcraft works?”

  The redhead lifted her chin. “The contract has been sealed.”

  “When the betrayer sits on the throne, the truth shall spill from his lips.” The black-haired one’s gaze fell to my abdomen. “And you shall have your happy ending.”

  Before I could say anything else, the candles guttered and died, plunging me into darkness. The sound of wood scraping echoed in the chamber followed by the shouts of voices from above.

  I didn’t fight the Inquisitors when they come down the ladder for me. I walked with them peacefully to the cell, which turned out to be a carriage house consisting of small rooms embedded with iron. Pure iron cut a witch or warlock from their power. An easy way to weaken one.

  No, I didn’t fight. Instead, I sat on the single bed and waited. I’d set the scene. I wasn’t going to miss it.

  After three days, the Inquisitors pulled me from the cell, bound me in iron cuffs, and hauled me to a black van. Dominic sat on a bench in the back with his ankle chained to the leg. He shoulders slumped and a grimace crossed his face. The Inquisitors pushed me inside and secured me to a bench opposite of Dominic. They slammed the doors shut, leaving us in darkness.

  “I’d hoped you’d gotten away,” His voice was husky with disappointment. “I’m sorry you got involved in all this.”

  “You didn’t do the séance, I did,” I said. “And don’t worry too much. I have a feeling things will turn up sunshine and rainbows.”

  His brow wrinkled and his eyes n
arrowed in confusion. “What do you mean?”

  “Oh, I’m not giving away any spoilers.”

  The doors in the front of the van slammed shut and the motor roared to life. The van lurched forward and shook with the squeak of metal. I leaned back, closing my eyes, and tapped my fingers on my stomach. If everything went according to the grand plan of the Fates, we’d just have sit back and enjoy. The traitor couldn’t do anything to stop it. From the way the Fates talked, they were beyond any daimon. I smiled. This was going to be good.

  The van drove for at least an hour before stopping. The Inquisitors pulled us out in front of a three-story brownstone building. They escorted us inside through a gray tiled foyer and into a large room with wood paneled walls. Thirteen chairs sat behind a long table in the back of the room. The middle chair stood the tallest with an ornately carved back and armrests. That had to be the throne. The Inquisitors led Dominic and me to a smaller table in the middle of the room with two chairs. They moved to either side of the table and waited with their hands crossed.

  After several minutes, twelve men and women dressed in long black robes entered from a door to the left of the large chair. Aaron, Victor, Larissa, and Xavier were among them. This had to be the High Council in full attendance, minus Gabriel. They walked to stand behind the chairs. I held my breath. Our traitor was about to out himself.

  Victor stopped behind the throne.

  My heart raced and I had to stop myself from yelling out.

  “We have deliberated and decided I shall serve as temporary High Warlock until the time of a proper determination,” Victor announced. “It is with a heavy heart I accept this role.”

  Yeah, heavy with evil.

  I bit my lip, my foot tapping against the leg of the chair in front of me. The High Council sat, some crossing their hands on the table, others straightening their robes. Victor sat last.

  “Begin,” he said.

  “Before you stands the accused for the murder of Gabriel Rizel, High Warlock of the Hermetic Order,” the Inquisitor on the right intoned.

  Victor leaned forward and peered at us with a satisfied look on his face. “How do you plead?”

  “Not guilty,” Dominic said through gritted teeth.

  “Also not guilty.” I held up a finger. “But the murderer is in this very room.”

  I smirked at Victor. His face took a greenish tint. His mouth fell open and his chest heaved.

  “She speaks the truth,” he blurted. “I summoned the daimon of slaughter, Phonos, to murder Gabriel in his sleep and then planted evidence pointing to Dominic Rizel. I wanted the position of High Warlock for myself.”

  The High Council let out several gaps and murmurs. Wide eyes and gaping mouths littered the table.

  I leaned my elbows on the back of the chair and glanced at Dominic with a smile. “Told you.”

  His eyebrows raised. “You did this?”

  “Turned out I could summon the Fates,” I said.

  Victor leapt to his feet, knocking his chair to the ground. A feat, considering how heavy that thing looked.

  “You fools.” His face reddened. “I did it for the good of the Order. I had even made a treaty. We would be rid of those damn pandorans. They’ll be ruined from within.”

  “We have heard enough.” Xavier beckoned the Inquisitors with his hand. “Subdue him.”

  The Inquisitors strode towards Victor. Victor scrambled from the table to a back wall with his chest heaving. A snarl formed on his lips as he scanned the room.

  “I’m not going to just give up that easily.” He ripped open his robe, revealing a series of deep gashes in a triple triangle above his left nipple. He dug his fingernail along the line the innermost tringle, drawing blood.

  One of the Inquisitors dart forward to tackle Victor, but the second grabbed the first by the arm and spun him around. The second’s hand smashed into the face of the first. Larissa made a sound somewhere in between a gasp and a shriek.

  In the few seconds everyone was watching the Inquisitors fight it out, Victor had drawn blood from the remaining triangles. He raised his hands in the air and threw his head back.

  “By my blood, I call and command thee, oh daimons of bloody death,” he shouted. “Come forth and kill my enemies. I give the bodies of those who have sworn themselves to me.”

  I gritted my teeth as I stared wide eyed at the insane old warlock. How could this happen? The Fates had said this would be over. That the murderer would confess.

  One thought rang through my head and chilled me to the bone. He did confess, but they never said he’d just give up.

  The lights flickered. Five of the Council who I didn’t know hunched over, gripping their stomachs and making choking noises. The second Inquisitor was mimicking the same contortions as the Council members. The others seemed to stare at those around them, stunned. I scooted closer to Dominic and pulled at his shirt.

  “What’s happening?” I asked.

  Dominic’s lips thinned into a grim line. “Victor’s sacrificing his co-conspirators to the keres, like the one that was after you.”

  I gasped, my heart pounding. “There’s more than one of those things?”

  We had no pen to banish them, and there was more than one. How the hell were we going to get rid of these things?

  “You need to run,” Dominic turned and pushed me towards the door. “Don’t stop until you’re out of the city.”

  I stumbled backwards with my chest tightening. “What about you?”

  “I can’t leave the Council. Father would never forgive me if I forsook my duty.” He gave me a sad smile and faced the mess in the front.

  The Inquisitor had straightened, and stared down at his hand. He looked at Victor with a glare. “You give us living bodies.”

  “You can claim the dead. Make sure none survive but myself.”

  “Victor, this is insane,” Aaron said. “The families will never stand for this.”

  “It’s time for a restructuring,” Victor said.

  “We agree to your terms.” The ker inside of the second Inquisitor turned its gaze to Dominic and me with a grin. “I have two in mind.”

  The four Council members who had been moaning straightened and struck out at their surprised compatriots. One leapt on Larissa and she tumbled to the floor with a shriek. The room descended into chaos with that. The first Inquisitor rushed forward trying to defend the Council from the attacking ker.

  Dominic picked up a chair with his cuffed hands and kept his gaze on the ker Inquisitor stalking towards us. “Ava, why are you still here? Run.”

  I stumbled backwards with my heart pounding. I couldn’t just run and leave him. Dominic lunged forward and bashed the chair into the head of the ker Inquisitor. It stumbled back and lifted his head with a grin. It grabbed the remainders of the chair and yanked it from Dominic’s hand.

  “It won’t be so easy this time. Not without your light,” the ker said.

  A thought flashed through my head. Summoning could be reversed with the blood of the witch or warlock that performed the ritual. I remembered that from one of the many books Dominic had forced me to read. My gaze flew to Victor where he stood in the back corner with his arms crossed and a smirk on his face. He was the key to stopping this.

  I pressed my back against the wall and slunk around the room towards the table of the High Council. One witch I didn’t know lay on the floor and stared at the ceiling with her eyes empty of life. Blood pooled around her body. I swallowed, pushing down the bile from my stomach and stepped over her to where a group of Council members huddled. They had their heads bent and seemed to be chanting in some language I didn’t know. The Inquisitor stood in front of them with Aaron and Xavier on either side. All of them were holding long silver knives as they fended off three of the ker. Larissa clutched her bloodied arm to her chest.

  “Larissa,” I said. “I can stop this, but I need your help.”

  She glanced at me with wide eyes. “What do you expect me to do?”


  I held out my cuffed hands. Her mouth opened and closed as her gaze landed on the keys at the Inquisitors side. She swallowed and sprang forward. Her fingers closed over the keys. One of the keres hissed at her and swiped a hand with newly grown claws at her face. Aaron shouted and jumped in the way. The nails caught him in the shoulder. Larissa shouted and grabbed at him, the keys falling from her hand.

  I scrambled forward and snatched the keys up. It took me several moments of fumbling as I tried to twist the keys to the right angle, but I finally found the right one. I slipped into the lock of the cuffs and turned with a click. The iron bonds fell from my wrists. I heaved a sigh as Tyche’s presence filled the back of my mind. I glanced over the table at where Dominic lay on the floor with his hands around the wrists of the ker Inquisitor who was trying to strangle him.

  “I need to make a bargain,” I said. “I need a misfortunate blow to hit Victor.”

  “What will you trade?” she asked.

  I gulped. What was worth killing someone? It had to be something huge. “I give you my name Valentine and my old life.”

  “A Life for a Life. A Fair Bargain. Agreed.”

  One of the ker jerked the knife from Xavier’s hand. It flew through the air and embedded into Victor’s chest. He stared down at it with a shocked expression on his paling face and toppled to the ground. No one else noticed. Everyone else seemed intent of surviving or killing, in the keres’ case. I let out a breath. This wasn’t over.

  I crawled out of the Council huddle to Victor’s fallen body. My stomach churned as I dipped my fingers into the blood trickling from his knife wound. With swift jerking motions, I spread the blood on the floor in the pattern of three triangles with the points down. It was the opposite position than to one carved on Victor.

  “I banish thee, O spirits of bloody death. Your master has passed from this life. By his blood, go into the abyss beyond. By your name, Keres, I banish thee.”

  The lights flickered again. The ker gave shrieks and shuddered before falling to the ground. The Inquisitor and Xavier straightened up with surprised looks on their face, their knives still raise just in case. The witches and warlock whom the ker had possessed lay on the floor unmoving.