But I was too slow. My father swung out the rod, hitting me flat on the temple. My vision went black, and I saw stars before I felt another whack.
I went down, and all I could think was, Run, Izzy, run!
We’d been double-crossed.
But I had been a fool. So desperate for love and acceptance, I didn’t see the clear plan laid out in front of me. All I had been was a pawn.
Again.
Chapter 22
My head throbbed like a wooly beast, and I tried to orient myself. Somebody leaned over the top of me with long amber hair…no, not somebody, but my sister. Beside her was another woman. A brunette with satiny bronze skin…Izzy.
Suddenly, the events that had transpired flooded my head, and I jolted awake. I sat up, but multiple hands pushed me back into the bed I lay in.
“I have to get my father,” I grounded out.
“Whoa, boy,” Ruby said with her hand firmly on my shoulder. “You have a nasty concussion.”
“Ruby?” She had just been on her deathbed. “You’re alright?” I placed my hand on hers, feeling the sharpness of a ring.
“Yes. I’m fine.” She moved her hand away, and I saw the engagement ring. “You said ‘yes’?”
She nodded and shot Ty, who stood in the corner of the room besides Luna, a smile. “I was afraid…but when you face death, the little fears that were holding me back felt so trivial.” She shook her head. “Family is important and it was time I started my own.”
My hand left Ruby’s and fell on Izzy’s shoulder. I strummed my fingers down her arm. “How about you?”
She smiled and brushed my short bangs back off my forehead. “I’ll be fine soon. She lifted a book and through my still-fuzzy vision, I could read the word Wonderland. She opened the front cover to where there was handwriting, and I made out her name inscribed inside.
“It’s the book. Your book. How’d you get that? How long have I been out?” The questions filled my head faster than I could ask them.
“You’ve been out for a day or so, and I think it was from more than the hit on the head. You used quite a bit of magic,” Ruby said.
Magic. Yes. “Where’s the moonstone?” If my father had that stone, we’d be back to where we were a year ago.
“It’s locked up again,” Ty said, emerging from his corner and placing a hand on Ruby’s shoulder. Luna was right there beside him, with a ginormous smile upon her scaly lips.
“So, how did Izzy get the book?”
“Your father got it. He worked with your mother to track it down.” Ruby shook her head. “I would never have let you take our father out from the dungeon. In fact, I was quite irate when Ty told me he allowed you to leave with him. But your father did confiscate all the books and burned them.”
“Burned them?”
“It’s how to break the curse,” Izzy said. “They’re all gone except this one. My book.” She and Ruby passed unsaid words between them.
Ruby finished her thought. “As soon as it’s gone, the spell will be lifted and Izzy’s leukemia will come back with a vengeance. There’s no telling how long she has left. You’ll have to heal her immediately.”
This was it.
My chance at a happily ever after. Made me feel foolish for even pushing Izzy away or doubting we’d get to this point.
“What about my father? Or about Luciana?”
Ty and Ruby looked at each other while pity filled Izzy’s face.
“He got away?” I leaned into the bed and closed my eyes. Of course, he got away. I allowed myself to be played, but I’d find him. I’d get him back in the dungeon where he belonged. But he had helped me. He followed through and was true to his word. Even the bonk on the head was his way of helping me…I’m sure he had to do that to be convincing to Luciana. I chuckled. He had said he’d never hurt his family…but he did.
Sometimes a bit of pain is better than the alternative.
My father retrieved the books for us and gave us the solution to the problem, when he could have so easily escaped and never looked back. He could have made a portal to the mortal realm where I’d never be able to find him. Maybe he did.
“Not quite,” Ruby said. “He could have gotten away, but he came back with the books. He’s downstairs and wants to talk to you as soon as you’re better.”
I ruffled my brow. “He’s here? And you are allowing him to stay in the castle?” I tossed the sheet off me and sat up, but as soon as the throbbing filled my head, I slowed myself down.
“Of course,” Ruby said, helping me steady myself. “He’s a prisoner in the dungeon.”
I slowly shook my head. “How…?” Did he get caught when he came to turn in Izzy’s book?
Ruby placed her hand on my wrist. “Grey, he says he wants to get to know us. Both of us. Helping you. Curing me. It was only the first step. He says only time will sort out the truth.”
And I understood that statement. He might carry baggage heavier than anyone else had ever had, but that baggage would slowly be forgotten as he worked to replace the troubles of his past with positive actions.
Like my own past. People might cringe away when they remembered me as my dad’s partner, but they also sought me out.
They trusted their loved ones in my hands, and it’s not something I wanted to forget.
“What about Luciana?”
“What about her?” Ruby asked.
Izzy looked at me. “I didn’t tell them.”
“Tell us what?” Ruby asked.
“That I had the bars down,” I confessed. “That it’s my fault, if she escaped.”
“Luciana didn’t escape,” Ruby said. “She didn’t go anywhere.”
Izzy nodded. “After your father knocked you out, he took the moonstone and did a bit of a torture session on his wife. She spilled the secrets in less than a minute. She might be all bark and no bite, but a bit of pain and she curls into a ball and rocks back and forth. When he got what he wanted, he put the bars back up, leaving her right where she was.”
I shook my head. “He left her there? But he loves her.”
Ruby laughed. “Well, maybe he planned on going back the entire time. Misery loves company.”
“He actually gave me a message for you,” Izzy said. “First, whenever you’re ready, he wants to see you. Says he has time and isn’t going anywhere.”
“Well, that won’t happen for a bit.” Once Izzy was cured and I had my strength back, my first priority would be to visit the non-magical world and heal all those people who had the cursed book in their hands—like that witch’s wife who had lung cancer. Then, maybe, I’d seek out my father.
“He says your mom wants to see you, too.”
“Yeah, not ready for that yet either.” If I was being honest with myself, I knew that someday I would be ready, just not today.
“And the second thing he said was to give you a message. That yes, he loves Luciana, but he loves you more—in a different way. You’re his flesh and blood. He wanted to prove his claim to you.”
My heart tightened. Perhaps I’d be ready to see him sooner than I initially thought.
I stood, being careful not to send more throbbing into my head. “Anyone got a flint? Let’s burn a book.”
“I have something better,” Ruby said, flicking a device in her hand to a flame. “A lighter. Are you sure you’re feeling up to it?”
I closed my eyes and felt for the magic. It was strong and bent to my will. “I’ve never been more excited for anything before in my life.” I laid Izzy down where I had just been. “The sooner we get this over with, the sooner I can apologize for being a jerk.”
Izzy laughed. “You saw my parents, right? I think you and I have a different definition of being a jerk.”
“No, really,” I said, kneeling beside the bed and wrapping my hands around hers. “You’re free to leave once you’re healed, but I really hope you’ll stay. I know we both come from terrible backgrounds, but I want to stop that right now. We both cling to dream
s of parents who care, but I think it’s time to create our own future. With or without them, it’s our destiny to make, not what they laid out for us.”
Izzy raised herself up on an elbow, pulling a hand out of mine and placing it on the back of my neck. She glanced at my sister and smiled. “You might want to close your eyes.” And then she kissed me.
A sweet, perfect kiss.
I guided her back down to the bed with my lips on hers, but when Ruby moaned, I pulled away. “Okay, fine. We’ll get to that later. Burn the book!”
Ruby laid the book on the room’s stone floor and opened it, the brittle yellow pages standing up like a fan. She flicked her lighter and ignited the pages.
I turned to Izzy, gripping her hand and sifting through her magical sand. The color drained from her face, making her skin seem transparent. Her veins that had been hidden behind her dark skin emerged and she looked nearly like a corpse.
I sifted faster through the sand, trying to separate the boulders, but the magic that kept her alive was still strong.
No.
She was slipping away.
I glanced to the book as the last pages burned and the cover ignited.
That was the step I needed. Suddenly, the magnetic sand melted together into giant boulders that were nearly unpassable.
Except, my magic had been waiting for them. They crushed as if they were nothing more than a hollow eggshell. I sent my magic through her entire body, breaking the boulders into nothing but fine, slippery sand.
Soon, I found no more stones inside her. No magic. Just soft, silky sand that rivaled the smoothness of her skin.
“All done.” I examined this new version of Izzy. Gone was her grey undertone and glossy eyes. She was now filled with vibrant energy.
An energy I couldn’t wait to explore.
Today.
Tomorrow.
Years in the future.
The amount of time didn’t matter. All I cared about right now was enjoying every second of this glorious day we got to share together.
And maybe that’s how I had to face my parents. The past didn’t matter.
Neither did the future.
All that mattered was this moment. If it was good, I’d seek out more, like time with Izzy.
If I was hurt and betrayed? Then I didn’t need anymore.
Izzy’s folks weren’t ready for a change.
But perhaps mine truly were.
Only time would sort out the truth.
I couldn’t wait to spend that time with my family—Ruby, Izzy, and Luna.
And Ty. How could I forget the man who was soon to become my brother?
And maybe, at some point in the future, there would be more of us in our family, but right now, I was happy with what I had.
If you enjoyed meeting Greyson, Izzy, and Luna in The Dragon You Know, you’ll love Ruby, Ty, and Luke’s story in the Quarter Witch Chronicles Trilogy, starting with Dragons are a Girl’s Best Friend.
Joynell Schultz manages the family zoo (literally!) and writes paranormal fantasy, mystery, and science fiction in her (nearly non-existent) free time. She's a pharmacist by training (boring!) but prefers to hang out with zebras and bears or some imaginary characters. Oh, and she (finally!) hit the USA Today Bestsellers list. She has over 20 books published, so you’re sure to find something you love.
Find all of Joynell Schultz’s books on her web page: http://www.joynellschultz.com/books
Believe
Shereen Vedam
Believe © 2020 Shereen Vedam
All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Warning: the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
Chapter 1
Late at night, in the upstairs bedroom of her father’s castle, Princess Samara sat up with a start. A sense of foreboding permeated her bedchamber.
She flicked her fingers, mentally calling for light and the room glowed brighter, sending shadows scurrying.
She was alone. The door to the corridor remained shut. No shouts of alarm from the guards stationed in the corridors or downstairs; nothing to worry about. Just a night-time jitter that had disturbed her sleep.
With a sigh of relief, her tensions subsided. She extinguished the room’s glow and lay back.
All was well.
Her father was the King of Bernada, a land of sorcerers. Their kingdom even had a university for magical scholars. Best of all, she was inside his spell-fortified castle. No place in this whole world was safer than here. How silly to worry in the first place.
Still, the feeling had been so palpable…
A brisk summer breeze blew in through the iron grill barrier of the room’s lone window, rattling its open shutters and swiping across her warm face. A glance out that domed opening showed a pitch-black sky outside, outlining the edges of an old oak.
She squinted until the canopy resembled the shape of the outstretched wings of a dragon. Her mother’s favorite pets. One hadn’t been seen in Bernada since the queen passed away years ago. In her absence, Samara’s father had become not only her caretaker but her best friend.
She used to love hiding in the branches of that old oak to spy on him training his apprentices to cast spells in the courtyard below. Until one day, she was old enough to be taught herself.
Another breeze blew in. This time, a branch struck the grill with an urgent rat-tat-tat, as if in disagreement with Samara’s earlier assessment that all was well. Silly old tree.
She yawned and stretched, and within a tired blink, she was asleep again.
At the bare edge of dawn, while the rumble of a storm’s thunder shook the beds of the castle’s sleeping inhabitants, three witches drifted into the king’s audience chamber in Bernada. As they approached his majesty, an odd breeze stirred within the closed chamber, billowing their crimson cloaks.
Still in his nightwear, the king gave the three crones a long-suffering glance as he climbed to sit on his throne. He then straightened his nightcap and asked, “Why have you summoned me?”
They bowed low and then rose together to intone in perfect harmony, “Great and Mighty Sorcerer King, we have come to make known to you an unexpected turn of the great wheel of fate. On your death, a boy from the mortal Kingdom of Glinnia will rule in your place.”
At breakfast the next morning, her father shared the witches’ delivery of the disagreeable prophecy. So, there had been a disturbance last night. She should have listened to her instincts and checked outside her room.
“How can this be?” she asked now with a frowning glance at her father who was slathering jam on a thick slice of freshly baked bread. The sight made her mouth water.
“I’m the strongest magic user in the realm,” Samara continued in a reasonable tone. “That fact has not altered since I was tested when I turned ten.” She took a bite of her own jam layered bread and sighed with pleasure at the sweet warm taste. “Do not fret, Papa. I will be the one to succeed you and I promise to take great care of our kingdom.”
“I’m sorry, Samara, but this changes all our plans.” He sounded…excited?
He couldn’t actually be contemplating giving this Glinnian boy her rightful place. Could he? “I’m more capable of ruling than a child,” she scoffed, but a sliver of doubt was creeping up her back. “He wouldn’t safeguard our pe
ople as I would. Who is this lad? A prince? A street urchin?”
“According to the oracles, his name is Jack, he’s eight years old, and the son of a knight named Sir Ivan. If Jack is to successfully rule my kingdom one day, he must be taught our ways, so he will understand how to govern a land of sorcerers. The boy must be properly educated to ensure that, once I’m gone, Bernada continues to be ruled by a strong and just hand.”
His words were a knife jammed between her shoulder blades. Her father sounded as if he’d accepted this flimsy prophesy as an unchangeable fact. Samara dropped her half-eaten bread, her hunger vanishing and a sense of horror surging to take its place. “You cannot be serious.”
Her father loved her. More so than any boy he had yet to meet, no matter how powerful this prophesy deemed the child would one day become.
“I am, for this has been foretold,” he replied in a resolute tone.
For the next three days, Samara and her father circled around the same insidious argument. The boy must be protected. Taught. Groomed to become a sorcerer king.
Unable to change his mind, a deep depression settled into the pit of her stomach.
Then, he called her into his study. She ran in, hope spurring her steps. Had he come to his senses?
He waved her inside. “I want you to fetch him.”
“What? No!” Blood fled from her extremities, leaving her body cool and her head woozy at that callous order.
“Samara, you’ve had enough time to become accustomed to this new circumstance. I understand it’s hard to take in, but I also know my daughter. You can and will put aside your pain and think of the good of Bernada.”
She turned her stiff back to him, unable to gaze at his entreating face. How could he expect her to so easily put aside a lifetime of believing she would one day govern their cherished kingdom? She wanted to serve her people but not as a vassal to an outsider. The very idea was insulting.
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