by Lola StVil
“Puff, I’m not falling for Kane. I can’t be. That’s insane.”
“Yeah, it is, but maybe you just need more time to get him out of your system,” she says.
“I can’t talk about this anymore. I’m going to my room.”
“Lissy, we’ll figure this out. Don’t worry.”
I don’t reply; I just run up the steps, but I stop before I get to my room and watch Quinn and Regal in her room. Her door’s open. No doubt she’s telling Regal how bad my lesson was today. Regal stands behind her as she looks in the mirror. She frowns at the reflection before her and sighs. Regal wraps his arms around her and whispers softly in her ear.
“Q, you look beautiful. Can we go now?” he says. His voice is sincere and warm; I can’t help but wish someone felt that intensely about me. Regal has another gift aside from healing—the gift of always saying the right things. I don’t think it’s a supernatural ability, I think he’s just that kind of guy.
The light from the window hits his long hair and spotlights his flawless face. His lips are only a few inches from the nape of her neck, and he inhales her scent. He finds it so intoxicating he has to close his eyes to take it all in.
“You’re my boyfriend. You have to say that,” she replies with a smile.
“That doesn’t make it any less true” he says as he gives into his urge and begins to nibble on her neck. She inhales deeply and leans into his embrace.
“You think she’s coming?” Quinn asks.
“I don’t know, maybe,” Regal says.
“I’ve been calling her for days but she is only coming because her little ‘Lissy’ asked her to,” Quinn says.
“Babe, you don’t know that.”
“Yeah, I do,” she says, turning to face him.
“She’s also coming to see you. Sadie knows you live here. It’s not like she’s going to come over and ignore you.”
“That’s exactly what my mother will do. You know her. That only thing she cares about—the only think she’s ever cared about—is Atlas. I’ve spent my whole life hearing about the ‘amazing Lissy.’”
“I know. But that doesn’t mean Sadie doesn’t care about you. She chose you to teach Lissy. That means she trusts you,” Regal insists.
“What she should have done is chosen me to be the Seeker.”
“Quinn, the last member of the Alliance to choose the Seeker is Sia. And it’s Sia that picked Lissy.”
“Regal, you know as well as I do Sia would never have picked someone my mother did not agree with. My mom didn’t even nominate me.”
“She wants you to be safe. You’re her flesh and blood. She doesn’t want you to die.”
“Please, she couldn’t care less what happens to me.”
“You know that’s not true.”
“Then why didn’t she come when I called her? I’ve been trying to reach her all morning. But Atlas places one call and all of a sudden, she’s on her way. What the hell?” Quinn snaps. Regal takes her hand in his and forces her to make eye contact with him.
“Listen to me. You are amazing. You are one of the most accomplished witches that ever lived. You are so powerful and so brilliant that your mom picked you to train the Seeker. In a way, your mom did choose you.”
“Then why am I not the Seeker?”
“Does it really matter?” he pleads.
“Yes, it does! Can’t you see that?”
“I know how important it is for you to connect with your mom, but it doesn’t mean you have to be Seeker in order to do that.”
“You know what’s the worst part? All this time I built Atlas up in my head like she was some super badass with the heart of a warrior and unimaginable powers. But she’s not. She’s a weak, undisciplined mess.”
Regal’s jaw tightens, and he sighs heavily and walks away from her. He heads towards the window and looks out at New York City. His hands are folded across his chest. And for the first time since I’ve known him, Regal is tense. Quinn studies him for a moment and then walks up to him and strokes his arm.
“I’m sorry. I know we’re supposed to be going out tonight and that quest stuff is off-limits. And here I am, ranting about work,” she says.
“Yeah…” he replies under his breath.
“I’m sorry. I really am. I won’t bring up the human again.”
“Okay,” he says without turning to face her. She gently turns him so that they are now making eye contact.
“Regal, I’m sorry. Let’s just go out and focus on us,” Quinn says as she goes on the tips of her toes and kisses him deeply. When they pull apart, they gaze into each other’s eyes.
“I know this is hard for you, but you can’t let that tear you up like this. You’re still amazing with or without Sadie’s acceptance. You’re still the girl I chose. I love you.”
“Why do you think she chose Atlas? I mean, what could my mom have been thinking? She can’t even bring water to a boil,” Quinn says to herself.
“That was seven seconds. You went seven whole seconds without mentioning your mother or Atlas. Good job,” he says bitterly.
“Regal, I’m—”
“No! I don’t want to hear anything you have to say right now.”
“What did I do? We’re just having a conversation,” she protests as she follows him around the room.
“I just said ‘I love you,’ and you come back with some craziness about Atlas and your mom.”
“Okay, I should have said I love you back. And I do. You know that.”
“Are you sure you love me?” he asks.
“We’ve been together for two years, you know I do,” she says, sounding genuinely hurt.
“How?” he asks.
“What?”
“How can you love me or anyone else when your entire being is filled with your hatred for Atlas and your mom? There’s no room for anyone else.”
“You don’t understand, Atlas has—”
“This isn’t about Atlas. She’s not to blame for the rift between you and your mom. And for the record, she may not have mastered being a witch in the full week she’s known about witches, but you’re wrong. She’s not weak. She’s courageous. She’s throwing herself into a new world where her death is a certainty.
“She’s uprooted her whole life to save humanity while still dealing with that fact that her mother is gone.”
“I had to deal with the loss of my mother a long time ago. She may not have been dead, but believe me, I lost her. I lost her because she practically abandoned me to be with Atlas every second of the day. I thought you of all angels would get that,” she says.
“I do. I really do. But that doesn’t change the fact that Atlas has to go on this impossible quest. Instead of helping her, you just keep finding ways to try to break her down. Quinn, hating her isn’t going to make things with you and Sadie better. I’ve never know hate to make anything better. I know you don’t want to hear this but…Sadie made the right choice when she backed Atlas. And now you need to back her up too,” he says in a soft but firm tone.
“And if I can’t?” she asks.
“Then I don’t know what the future holds for us…”
***
Regal walks out of the room. I quickly move so he doesn’t see me. I shouldn’t have been spying on them. I thought Quinn was just being difficult, but it turns out she has reason to dislike me. She thinks I took her mom away. Why would Sadie treat her so badly? There are so many things I still don’t know when it comes to Sadie. I’m hoping she can clear a few things up for me when I see her tonight. Like why she let me think Kane was an angel or why she sought his help at all. I open my bedroom door and find a gold box about six inches long with carvings etched on the side.
Before I touch it, I call the team, and together they watch as I place my hand on top of the box. It starts to illuminate and then it bursts into gold sparks. And just like that, it’s gone. There is nothing left of the box.
“That’s it? A box that I touch and it goes away?” I ask.
“Look in your hand,” Quinn says.
I turn my hand over and in my palm there is a gold sketch forming. Once it’s complete, it stays on my hand like a gold tattoo.
“What is that?” Saudia asks.
“I’ve seen this picture before…” I reply.
“It’s a veil with three colored diamonds on top. It’s lacking in cut and clarity but not bad,” Langston says.
“Where did I see this veil before?” I say to myself.
“Hang on,” Perry says as he takes a picture of my hand with his phone.
“Wait! I know where this veil is from. I read the story to a bunch of kids when we had story night at the bookshop. It’s the veil of Shahrazad. It’s the story of a well-read girl named Shahrazad. The king was going to have her killed at first light like he did all the others before her. So she decided to tell him a story that she knew she would not be able to finish by first light.
“It worked; the story was so captivating that he postponed her death for the next night. She ended up telling so many amazing stories that the king couldn’t get enough. He kept her alive for one thousand and one days. Then he married her. This is her veil,” I explain.
“This veil is from someone who avoided death?” Mason asks, sounding deeply troubled.
“Yeah, does that mean anything?” I ask.
“Objects from figures in history who have avoided death are called Eternals. Possessing an object gives you the power to cheat death. It makes you immortal,” Saudia says.
“Fine, then where would we find this Eternal object?” I ask. They look at each other and exchange looks of dread. The tension in the room is so loud it fills every inch of the loft.
“C’mon, guys, tell me. Mason, what do we have to do to find an Eternal object?” I ask.
“Die.”
A few moments later, the team and I are gathered downstairs, at the kitchen counter. Everyone except Remedy, who’s on her way home. Mason explains that Orah created the universe to have a sense of irony. He allowed immortal objects to exist and thought to put them where they would not be needed—the afterlife.
“So why would the quest ask me to get a veil that can’t be taken?” I ask.
“Well, that’s the thing about the afterlife. You can go there. You shouldn’t—ever. But technically you can,” Saudia says.
“That means we die?” I ask.
“In order to get to the afterlife and come back, you need a round-trip ticket. And to do that, we would need to strike a deal with the gatekeeper of the afterlife. His name is Pascal, and he’s not the nicest dead person you will meet,” Regal says.
“If you want a ticket, he’ll ask you for something you hold dear. Something you really love, in exchange for a one-hour pass to the afterlife,” Saudia says.
“He’s cunning and malicious. He’s been known to speed up the clock and shave off precious minutes so he can keep you trapped in there. He’s even asked for limbs in exchange for a ticket. He can’t be trusted,” Mason says.
“You should talk,” Langston says under her breath.
“We’re not doing this now, Lang,” Mason warns.
“I just want to give him a little. That might be enough to wake him,” she pleads.
“You can’t. I’m sorry,” Mason says.
“You went to see him today?” Quinn asks Langston.
“Yeah, there’s been no change at all,” the pretty blonde replies.
“What’s she talking about?” I ask Perry.
“She’s out of lip gloss, and Mason won’t let her go get any. It’s a cruel world,” Perry jokes.
“Stop it, Perry! Stop making fun of every damn thing because you can’t deal. Drew is a vegetable because of us and it’s not funny!” Langston shouts.
“Did you just say ‘us’?” Perry replies.
“If Drew hadn’t met any Shadows, he would have led a normal life. We did this to him. And you’re a real tool to sit there and make jokes,” Langston snaps.
“We don’t have time for this right now. We need to figure out how we’re going to get the veil,” Quinn says.
“You can’t even give her a few minutes to grieve over her cursed boyfriend?” Regal says to his girl.
“Why don’t you just come out and say it? You think I’m a cold, unfeeling bitch,” Quinn replies.
“Quinn, you are not a cold bitch; you’re more ‘cold bitch’ adjacent,” Perry says.
“Quinn, I didn’t say that,” Regal says.
“Mason, can you get Perry to stop making jokes for three seconds and just be a grown-up?” Langston asks.
“Do grown-ups break the rules, date humans, nearly get them killed, and then blame their own teams?” Perry asks.
“Wait! Who got whom nearly killed?” I ask.
“We can’t talk about this now. We need to stay focused,” Quinn counters.
“Quinn, we have got to see the wizard and get you that new heart,” Perry says.
“Perry, don’t talk to her like that,” Regal says.
“You know she’s a little on the frosty side. C’mon. If you place a glass of juice against her chest, you get Slurpee in seconds.”
“Perry, shut up!” Quinn snaps.
“Mason, please. I just want to try it,” Langston pleads.
“I am not letting you trade in your life force for Drew’s. I’m sorry he was cursed. But you’re an important part of the mission and we can’t afford to lose you,” Mason says.
“I LOVE HIM!” Langston dares.
“That was your first mistake! You know Shadows and humans aren’t allowed to be together. We begged you to end it. I ordered you to end it. But you were too selfish to let him go. And now…you’ll have to live with the consequences of your decisions,” Mason adds.
“And you, Mason, you’ll have to live with the fact that we could have saved a human life and we didn’t. That’s on you,” Langston says.
“Perhaps I came at a bad time,” someone says as they appear right before our eyes.
“Mom!” Quinn says, going over to Sadie.
“Hello, Quinn,” Sadie says as if greeting an associate.
“I called you,” Quinn says.
“I was in the middle of something. Atlas, you look thin. Are you eating?” she asks. Quinn glares at me.
“I’m fine,” I reply awkwardly.
“The Alliance said you have the first object you need to find,” Sadie says to Mason.
“Yes, it’s an Eternal object,” Mason says.
“Damn it!” Sadie says as she begins pacing up and down.
“Yeah, we know. Pascal could ask for anything, and you know how twisted he can be,” Regal says.
“Pascal is not the only problem. Once there, you have to figure out the riddle to open the gate. You’ll have to survive the River of Rage. And the horde of Syths. This first object is more dangerous than I thought. How are your lessons coming? Which of the four elements are you working on, Atlas?” Sadie asks.
“I’m on fire,” I mumble.
“Isn’t that where you started?” she asks.
“Yeah…I’m sorry,” I reply.
“What have you been doing, Quinn?” Sadie asks, turning to her daughter.
“Mom, I tried. She’s not very good at any of this. She doesn’t have any natural talent. I’m sorry.”
“Are you standing there blaming the student for your inability to teach?” she demands.
“No, I’m just saying—”
“Quinntorah, you had a job to do. One that could very well save the world or help to end it. And you are failing. Is that what I can expect from you from now on? Failure?” Sadie says.
“No,” Quinn says.
“No, what?” Sadie asks.
“No, Mother,” Quinn whispers.
“It’s not her fault. I’m just not very good at this witch thing. Please, don’t blame her,” I beg.
Sadie looks over at me and her face softens. She reaches out and brushes a stray hair from my face. “Stan
ding up for a girl you just met. Your mom would be proud of you,” she says. She then turns to Quinn.
“Atlas, my daughter is the most talented witch of her age. When she puts her mind to something, it gets done,” Sadie says bitterly. Quinn looks away.
“What does that mean?” I ask.
“It means, Quinn will do better. She’ll remember just how unstoppable she can be. In fact, Quinn is rather like a force of nature. Unpredictable. Powerful. Even cruel—at times,” Sadie says. The two of them exchange a tense look but neither of them speaks.
Okay…
Remy enters the loft with a goat, a hat, and a Cuban cigar. She smiles as if it’s a normal thing to witness.
“Hey! So I hear we have our first assignment,” she says.
“Remy, what are you thinking?” Saudia scolds.
“Yeah, I know. The hat doesn’t match my outfit. But sometimes you gotta just say ‘to hell with it,’” she says.
“No, I mean the goat,” Saudia says.
“Oh! This is Kelvin. He welched on a deal and pissed off a Gypsy. I tell you, those bitches are evil. She cursed his whole family and turned them into animals. Some cows, chickens, turkeys, you name it. He’s the only one left. All the others are gone.”
“Cows? I’m sorry, Kelvin. I had a hamburger today. I may have eaten your cousin,” Perry says.
“I was hoping Quinn could undo the curse,” Remy says.
“Yeah, sure. Let’s get him upstairs,” Quinn says, relieved to be leaving the room.
“The goat will have to wait. We need to get to Pascal,” Mason says.
“You two go upstairs, fix the goat. I’ll make some calls and find out where Pascal’s been hiding lately,” Saudia says.
“Sadie, what about Drew? Are you sure you can’t help him?” Langston asks.
“No, sweetheart. A battle curse can’t be changed. It can only exchange one victim for another,” Sadie says.
“I went to see him today, at the home… He’s so…he’s only nineteen. His life can’t just end,” she protests.
“I’m still looking. If I find anything that can help Drew, I will let you know,” Sadie says.
“Thank you,” Langston replies as she sends Mason a chilling look.
“Sadie, can we talk in my room please?” I ask.