NINETEEN
Sebastian, Russell, Alex, Victoria, and a handful of Guardians stomped out of the front doors of Temple less than three minutes later. They all piled into the van waiting for them in the drive, and one of the Guardians took the wheel, speeding off toward O’Hare Airport.
Sebastian turned to Alex. “We have to stop him. If that research gets into the wrong hands, all the Arrows are in danger. How does your talent work?”
“What do you mean?”
“Do you have to see stuff to move it?”
“I don’t know. Hang on.” She closed her eyes and moments later a handful of change floated up into the air. “Okay, let me try something else.” She closed her eyes again and concentrated very hard for a few moments before shaking her head and looking at Sebastian. “I can move stuff I can’t see, but I have to know where it is. I could get the change out of my pocket, but I couldn’t bring myself a cup of coffee from Temple. I can’t remember where my coffee mug is.”
Sebastian considered this. “I don’t think I should call and ask Aspen where they are. It just might make them run faster. What about changing things so we can go faster than everyone else?”
Alex considered this and nodded. She looked up at the stoplight they were approaching. Instead of turning yellow like it was about to do, it stayed green. The van maneuvered its way around cars, zipping through traffic. Alex continued to manipulate stop lights and slow neighboring traffic as the group made their way toward Mars. It was morning, and the work commute traffic was starting to build as they got closer to O’Hare. Russell glanced at Alex and realized her coloring was pale. “Are you okay?”
Alex nodded. “I’ve never done this much at once before. I guess it’s making me a little tired.”
Russell grabbed a bottle of water from his jacket pocket and passed it to Alex. “Here, have a drink.”
Alex took the bottle, gratefully. She downed half of the bottle in a few gulps and smiled. “That actually feels much better. Thanks.”
Victoria suddenly pointed through the windshield. “There they are!”
Sure enough, Sebastian could see Mars’s SUV in the traffic in front of them. He looked over at Alex. “We need to talk to them alone, where we aren’t going to be disturbed. I’ll call and ask Aspen to meet us at that parking lot right over there. In the event they refuse, can you manipulate the cars that way?”
Alex nodded, but Russell noticed she wasn’t as attentive as she had been. “Try calling them first, Sebastian.”
Sebastian took his cell phone from his pocket and found Aspen’s number, which he had from the night he’d gotten her S.O.S. call. After a couple of rings, Aspen’s voice came over the line. “Aspen, it’s Sebastian.” Russell strained to hear what Aspen was saying in reply, but couldn’t make anything out. “Listen, we need to meet with you guys before you leave town. We’re right behind you.” Sebastian paused as she replied. “You don’t understand. Mars has something of mine, and we cannot let him leave town with it. Cupid sent us to talk to him on his behalf.”
A few seconds later, Sebastian nodded. “We’re right behind you now. Just pull into that parking lot to the east. We won’t take more than a couple of minutes.”
Sure enough, the van in front of them pulled into the exit lane, and they followed. Russell leaned over and patted Alex’s hand. “You can stop now, Alex.” She nodded and leaned her head back on the seat, sipping the rest of the water. As she closed her eyes, the color began returning to her face.
“I think I need to practice more. Maybe I’ll be able to do it for longer.”
Russell smiled. “You did amazing. We never would have caught up to them if you hadn’t been with us.”
Alex smiled, happy to have been able to contribute. The van pulled off of the interstate right behind the SUV. They followed into the empty parking lot of a nightclub. Quickly, they all exited the van, the Guardians leading the way. Only Alex stayed behind to rest.
As Sebastian approached the SUV, Aspen got out of the car, a look of annoyance on her face. “This is really too far, Sebastian. You know why I have to leave.”
Sebastian scowled. “This actually isn’t about you at all. We really need to talk to Mars. He has my notebooks.”
Aspen blinked in surprise, and then looked behind her as Mars emerged from the SUV. “What is it, Sebastian?” His face was forced into a snarl as he approached. “We don’t have time to waste on Golden Arrow business.”
“We came to offer assistance. Cupid has promised he will give you full Guardian support if you return to Temple. We’ll send them to your New York Temple right away.”
Mars laughed, but it was cold and low. “Are you kidding? I ran from your Temple on purpose. You guys are more dangerous than what I am running to.”
Victoria stood up next to Sebastian, along with Russell and the Guardians. In response, the SUV’s occupants began lining up beside Mars and Aspen. Elaine and Stephan stood on either side of Mars while Rogan stood next to Aspen. Sebastian stood stiffly, watching Mars. “I can’t let you leave until you tell us what you’re up to.”
Mars shouted. “Are we going to go over this again? I am not the guilty party. The fact that you would even accuse me so soon after you’ve screwed up my whole Temple is insulting.” He advanced threateningly. “I should wipe you out just for implying it.”
Sebastian placed his hand on his pistol, but it did no good. At a flick of Mars’s hand, all of the guns the Golden Arrows were carrying slid across the pavement, landing several yards away. “You dare threaten me, a god, with your measly weapons?” Mars glowered.
Sebastian yelled. “Whether you come with us or not, I can’t let you leave until you return my notes!”
Mars only glowered at him. “Notes?”
Victoria shouted. “The notes from Sebastian’s research. They were missing when you left from Temple.”
Sebastian nodded and looked back to Aspen, who was watching Mars. “They were in there this morning before our meeting. After Mars has left, the notes are gone.”
Mars’s face began to turn red with anger. The sky boiled with his temper, the thunderclouds he conjured billowing overhead. “YOU DARE ACCUSE ME AGAIN, SEBASTIAN?” he spat. “You know NOTHING!” Lightning ripped across the sky and the breeze sifted around Mars as he stared them down. The Guardians quickly reached for their Swords of Light, which sprang to life at their touch, their light flashing in Mars’s red eyes.
Sebastian shook his head. “Don’t do this Mars! If you attack us, you destroy everyone! We want you to return with us, protect all the Arrows!”
Mars shouted, “What good would that do? I’ve got Temples burning to the ground as we speak, and there is no lack of hostility at your Temple.”
Sebastian shook his head. “If you go on your own, you at least need to return my notebooks.”
Mars frowned. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I have no notebooks.”
Sebastian growled. “No games, Mars! My research. The notebooks were there this morning before the meeting, and now they are gone. You’re the only one who has left.”
Awareness flashed through Mars’s face, and he glanced at Rogan. “Oh, no,” he said.
“What? Mars?” Russell yelled as the Lead Arrows and their leader exchanged glances.
Mars turned and faced Sebastian. “You’re in even greater danger than you know…”
The wind began to howl, and a suffocating expanse of air suddenly pressed down on them all. Dust flew up from the streets, and Sebastian heard the squeal of tires as cars were jerked from their lanes, crashing into each other on the interstate beside them. Before their very eyes, Mars’s feet started to lift from the ground. “Stop!” Mars howled. Aspen and Rogan ran to grab him, but they were too late, and Mars began to whirl into the sky. Suddenly he stopped in mid air. His eyes popped open in shock as he looked behind Russell. They all turned to see Alex standing in the open door of the van, her hands held up to the sky, intense concentration on her face as she struggled to hold Mars against the howling wind. The storm was still raging, but Alex just barely managed to keep Mars suspended with her power.
Russell looked at Alex in panic as sweat beaded down her brow. “I can’t hold him for very long, Russell,” she said. “The wind is too strong, and I’m still weak from before.”
Aspen and Rogan yelled at Mars as he threshed in the sky. Sebastian ran under him. “Mars!” he cried up to the war god. “Who is it? Who is holding Auster?”
The wind cried and a bolt of lightning flickered through the sky. The wind tangled with it and sparks flew as it bounced off of the pavement. “Mars!” yelled Sebastian. “Stop the storm!”
Mars shook his head. “It’s not me this time,” he yelled as he was tossed head over feet. The Guardians ran to his aid, but how does one attack the wind? Then a small car flew over their heads. They all ducked except for Mars, who was broadsided by the vehicle. Twisting in the air, he suffered the brunt of the impact. A long finger of air from a funnel cloud started descending out of the sky as Mars was dragged upwards. He gasped as he looked down at the ground. “You have to stop her!” cried Mars. Then the sky lit up in a great flash. Russell jumped and threw Alex to the ground as a pillar of lightning struck where she had been standing. As soon as Alex hit the ground, Mars was released as though he had been held in a sling shot. He flew into the storm clouds above them all, disappearing in seconds, panic on his face. Sebastian looked up in time to see Mars vanish with a final rumble of thunder.
The remaining Arrows and Guardians panted as they watched the sky, looking for a sign of Mars. “I don’t see him,” yelled Victoria.
Rogan turned and shoved Sebastian. “What the hell are you doing? Why did you stop us? We could have been on the way to New York by now.”
Russell jumped to his feet, his long hair whipping across his face as he went to stand next to Sebastian. “And what good would that have done, Rogan? How would being in an airplane make you any more protected from that?”
They all looked into the sky. The wind began to die down and the storm faded. Sebastian wondered if this meant Mars’s powers were stopped or if he was only too far away. Sebastian turned to look at the group. “We can’t stay here. It could be one of us next.” Sebastian turned his face toward the sound of sirens in the distance. “And the mortals are coming.”
Rogan and Aspen looked at each other. “What should we do?” Aspen asked him.
Victoria motioned back to their van. “You had better all come with us.”
Rogan snorted. “What? Back to your Temple?”
Russell shrugged. “Where are you going to go? Back to yours? It’s gone by now, and we both know it. The best option you guys have is to go back to ours and assemble your Arrows there, under the protection of all of our gods and the Guardians.”
Elaine and Stephan glanced at each other, then at Rogan. Aspen stepped forward. “How do we know they will protect us?”
Russell laughed. “We offered you protection before! The only reason you’re in this position is because you walked away from us the first time.”
Rogan stepped forward to retort, but Sebastian lifted his hands, cutting him off. “Listen, we’ve all made mistakes, but we can’t divide forces now. Whoever is behind this is dangerously close to ending everything.” He walked to the Lead Arrows’ SUV and started digging around.
Rogan turned around and shouted. “What are you doing?”
Sebastian started throwing things out of the Lead Arrows’ car. Aspen stood with her mouth open as their various possessions bounced off of the pavement. Sebastian ducked out of the car to look at Russell. “They aren’t here. If Mars had them, they were on his person.”
Rogan growled. “He told you he didn’t have them.”
Sebastian turned and yelled at Rogan. “Would you be willing to bet on your life and the life of every Arrow you know that it wasn’t in your car? That no one in your car took them?” Rogan and his group looked among each other, warily. “I don’t trust you right now, and I don’t think you trust me either. That’s just fine with me. Fact of the matter is, whoever took that notebook has the key to putting an end to the entire Arrow empire.”
Sebastian marched past them toward his own van. Aspen followed, quickly. “How is that even possible?”
Sebastian turned, nearly making her run into him. He gazed down at her. “Because those notebooks document how to maintain mortal peace using only Arrow blood.”
Aspen stopped short, gasping. Elaine took a tentative step forward. “You mean...?”
Russell cursed and turned. “That’s it! That’s why Jeremy’s blood was drained.”
Aspen stuttered for a second then looked up into Sebastian’s eyes. Sebastian tried not to feel anything as the fear shone in hers. She swallowed as she said, “That’s why they were draining my blood.”
Stephan spoke, matter-of-factly. “Someone has been following your work.”
“At first I thought it was Mars.”
Victoria considered this. “That would explain why he was at the café before the demon attacks, even if he didn’t send the demons.”
Sebastian nodded. “And then Aspen followed me.”
Aspen nodded, looking at the group. “And I was following him because of the research, but only because I wanted to talk to him about it out of my own personal interest. I wasn’t acting on anyone’s orders.”
Rogan stepped forward. “Aspen?”
She turned to look at him and nodded. “I’m sorry, Rogan. You and Mars were arrested because I was foolish. Everything got way out of hand.”
Rogan shook his head. “It’s not like I don’t understand, Aspen, I just…”
Everyone else just looked between each other quizzically, as Rogan and Aspen fell silent. Sebastian shook his head. “We can go over all of this later. Right now, we need to get back to Temple.”
The Guardians nodded. “We need to all go in the van,” one said.
“Why?” asked Elaine.
“Because we can’t protect you all in two different vehicles.”
Alex nodded. “And I can’t protect what I can’t see.”
“Yes, let’s leave now. Aspen?” Sebastian said.
She turned to look at him, her brow furrowed. “Yes?”
“Call all of your Temples. Have them all go to the Golden Arrow Temples, where the Guardians can protect them. It looks like we’re at war.”