See How She Falls (The Chronicles of Izzy #3)(2)
“Izzy, the time is upon us." Aberto’s solemn voice startled me out of my reverie.
“Alright, I’m ready.” I stood and walked to the center of the platform, the same one used during my protection mark ceremony only months before. I rooted myself in place, gathering my courage as I thought of the ceremony that was about to take place. Elaine would be stripped of her powers for the rest of her long life, something that wasn’t to be done lightly.
“I call the Council to order.” My voice echoed through the massive group. Aberto nodded his head almost imperceptibly, encouraging me to continue. “We are gathered to strip the Betrayer of her Gifts. She has forsaken all that our people hold to be true. Elaine has turned her back against her fellow Seers and walked the path of darkness. For this, she shall be stripped of her powers and be banished from the Order forever. There will be no shelter from Seer nor Guardian found. From this day forward she shall be nothing more than a memory in our collective.”
Aberto turned toward Elaine, leveling her with his gaze. “Do you wish to say anything before we begin?”
“You think you know what is coming. You think you know where the threat lies. Everyone here is going to die.” Elaine’s maniacal laughter sent chills rushing down my spine. Her words only reinforced the fears that had been building since we’d captured her months ago. “Oh, and Izzy, you can’t hide forever.” Looking into Elaine’s eyes, I finally understood. No sanity remained there. Whomever she’d once been was there no more.
Elaine smiled at me, ready to incite more fear at any moment. In a split second, Aberto rushed toward her, wrapping his hand around her mouth violently to cut off her unsaid words. Brutally pulling her head back, he whispered in her ear, “We will hear no more, Betrayer.” He leveled her with his stony gaze. I had only been on the receiving end of that look a few times. It made my knees shake just thinking about it. For a second, I almost felt sorry for Elaine. Aberto could be truly frightening when he wanted to be.
“Let us begin.” Aberto tossed Elaine’s head roughly to the side and moved to retrieve his tattoo implements. He pulled out a stylus and moved towards her body. Her face was an immovable mask as he approached her. Not a trace of remorse shone behind her eyes. He placed the stylus against her skin and made the first mark.
Elaine’s scream tore through the crowd, sending a shockwave that reverberated against everything in its path. For a moment, I wondered if we were doing the right thing. Surely there had to be some other way to keep her from using her powers. Just as the thought danced across my mind, I remembered Ren and everyone else that had perished because of this woman’s selfishly callous behavior. She deserved a far worse fate than the one she had been given. If it were up to Molly, she would already be dead.
I scanned the crowd looking for Molly. Things had been in such an upheaval since this all began that I’d hardly had any time to spend with her. I wanted more than anything to be by her side right now. But, I had a place. I was the leader of the Council now and that meant I was not at the liberty to follow my own whims any longer, a lesson I’d learned the hard way only weeks before. My life no longer belonged to me. Molly sent a sad smile in my direction and turned her attention back to where her mother sat, still screaming bloody murder. Someone should shove a sock down the woman’s throat. I was getting sick of hearing her yelps.
I watched Aberto as he moved around her marking her so that she would be unable to use her powers. He muttered words both foreign and familiar as he carved into her skin. These marks were not the beautiful ones he had bestowed upon my body. They were crude lines that gouged into her skin so deeply there was no doubting their permanence. He looked up to catch my eyes momentarily before turning back to his work.
The look in his eyes in that moment spoke volumes. Ever since he’d life breathed me, or whatever the hell he’d done, we shared a weird connection. I was always cognizant of his presence and whenever we were near one another, I found myself drawn closer to him. I rationalized that it was just the part of his spirit living within me that called to him. Yep, that was it. His soul inside of me longed to be back with its other half. That was my story, and I was sticking to it.
“NOOOOOOOOO!” Elaine’s scream snapped me back to the present, just as another shockwave ripped through the gathered Council members, Seers and Guardians. An audible snap sounded that left no doubt about what had just happened. Elaine’s powers were gone.
“Just kill me," she whimpered.
I saw Molly start toward the stage. She’d been trying to kill her mom ever since Ian had brought her back from the old factory. Before she even made it a step from her seat, Ian pulled her back and whispered something in her ear. She sat rigid in her seat clenching and unclenching her fists. I drew her attention and shook my head slightly. I wouldn’t have her doing something that she would regret the rest of her life. No matter how mad she was at the woman, she was still her mother.
“Elaine, you will find no refuge from our kind from this day forward. You will live the rest of your very long life alone in the world of humanity. Perhaps, in this new life you will find some way to atone for your betrayal.” Aberto leaned close to her ear and whispered the rest. “May your judgment be merciless. May the rest of your days upon this earth be a torment, for you deserve no less.”
With that, Aberto poofed. I still didn’t really know how he did it. One second he was there, then the next, gone. He would make an excellent magician. Perhaps we could raise money for the Council that way. “The Amazing Aberto." It could work. It would be an excellent Vegas show. I shook myself from my thoughts and looked back at the crowd. Time to be the leader.