by Erin Rhew
Samson’s lips pursed into a terse line. “Good. And Mars?”
“Holt revived him, and he’s recovering in his rooms. He’ll head back to Etherea soon.”
As they entered Holt’s room, a hush befell the group. Mia slipped her hand into Wil’s and moved closer to him. All eyes focused on their joined hands. The hurt on Layla’s face sliced through him while Samson’s gaze fixed upon them with a burning intensity.
Mia grimaced and leaned into the wall as if she might melt into it. “They’re all staring.”
Grant nudged Vespa. She stepped forward with a fake smile plastered on her face. “How are you feeling today, Mia?”
Mia jumped. “I’m okay…good…fine, I guess.”
“And the baby?”
“Good, I think.” Mia placed her hand over the small bulge.
“May I?” Vespa gestured toward Mia’s stomach. The Outlander nodded. The princess placed her hand upon the growing bump. Her expression brightened as she smiled at her brother. “Wil, I can feel the baby moving.”
He ran his free hand through his hair and smiled at his sister and Mia. This family bonding wounded both Layla and Samson, so he had trouble drawing any real delight from it.
Volton Holt cleared his throat. Relieved by the interruption, Wil ushered Mia to the couch. With Layla on one side and Mia on the other, Wil had no choice but to sit between them, an ironic commentary on his life.
Holt folded his hands into an upside down V and pressed them against his chin. “I’m going to be honest with you. There isn’t a whole lot of solid information on how to perform an extraction, mostly because it’s never been done before.”
Nash raised a finger to garner the Volton’s attention. “Can we separate Zarina and Haddey without hurting Zarina?” Wil noticed his brother’s hand resting on the Outlander queen’s shoulder.
Holt furrowed his brows. “I’m sorry, but Zarina has to die. Or at least—”
Nash started toward the Volton, his fists clenched. “Absolutely not!”
Wil and Layla both launched themselves off the couch to stop him. She reached Nash first and grabbed his arm, but he shook her off. Only Zarina’s soft “Nash” stopped him.
Holt held up his hands. “Let me finish. She at least has to appear to die.” Nash crossed his arms and stepped back but stayed within striking distance of Holt. “We have medicine to mimic death. We just have to make Haddey believe she’s lost her host, but Zarina will be fine. This potion only lasts for about five minutes.”
Nash took a deep breath. “You’d better be right.”
“She will be safe. You have my word.”
Nash returned to his seat beside Zarina. “You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.”
She smiled up at him. “I know, but I want to. Haddey has terrorized my people for centuries. She must be stopped.”
Holt frowned. “Zarina, I need you to think long and hard about your choice. According to my research, you will most likely lose your Outlander powers.”
Zarina lifted her chin, her face set in determination. “I’ll do whatever it takes.”
Wil admired her resolve. Her queen’s blood and Haddey’s selection may have given her the position, but her heart made her the true queen of The Outlands.
Nash smiled at his wife. The adoration on his face surprised and delighted Wil, but he wondered if his brother even realized the depths of his own feelings.
Samson tapped his foot. Impatience marred his features. “So, Zarina pretends to be dead, then what?”
Holt consulted his papers. “Hmmm…I believe Haddey will look for a new host body. The host must bear the queen’s mark, and fortunately, we have the other two potential queens here with us—Iris and Mia.” He pointed to one and then the other.
Fear electrified every fiber of Wil’s being. “But Mia is pregnant. For the sake of the baby, she can’t be part of the extraction.”
Zarina shook her head. “No, Haddey selects her own host bodies. In the event I die, the backup body is Mia’s.” She turned to Layla’s sister. “Iris, you’re simply too strong-willed for Haddey to risk.”
Iris smiled. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
Wil settled his hand over the bump on Mia’s stomach. “Please, consider our daughter, Mia. We can’t place her in harm’s way.”
Mia laid her hand over his. “I want to be a part of this, Wil. If I’m not there, Haddey will not vacate Zarina’s body, and this whole thing will have been for nothing. She selected me as the next host. I have to be there. You know what she did to my family.” She sniffled and averted her eyes. “I do this for our daughter, for her freedom from this horrible woman who will terrorize all of us if we allow her to live. I want Haddey dead. I’m going to go through with it.”
Wil sagged against the couch. Mia’s courage matched Zarina’s. Though her actions put his child’s life at risk, he could not stop her. Nash regarded him with sympathy. They both stood to lose someone in this extraction—Nash, his wife, and Wil, his child—but if they left Haddey to her own devices, they could lose even more than that.
Samson left his position by the door and perched himself on the edge of the couch closest to Mia. “You’re sure?”
Mia grasped his leg. “If we don’t stop her, she’ll continue to terrorize Outlanders—Vanguards and Ethereals too—for another century. Or worse, she’ll start a war that will kill every last one of us. If I can stop her, I must.”
Samson nodded. “Okay, okay.” He turned back to Volton Holt. “So, Zarina fakes her death, Haddey comes out to enter Mia’s body, which I…we…won’t allow. Then what?”
“According to my research, Layla, as the Fulfillment, must say this incantation.” Holt crossed the room and handed his daughter a piece of paper.
Layla studied the words. Her brow furrowed as she concentrated. “ Su Latsa Grabin, Les Falima ak les Fecht Wanz Purfcay tu hirbun wrep oopan les ofsreg di Chos and Raai al casir tresau herdises emagdal rijun .”
A low growl emanated from Samson. “That doesn’t even make any sense. How are we supposed to ensure the safety of Mia and Zarina when Layla is reading gibberish?”
Holt sighed. “There are no guarantees here. For any of us.”
Samson pushed off the couch and paced the room. “Unacceptable.”
Layla watched her brother’s manic march. “Samson, you’re a Vanguard. You’re trained to calculate the risk in every strategic situation. Push down your worries and assess it as a warrior.” Samson stopped and frowned. His gaze shifted to Mia and then to the floor.
Wil puzzled over the strange writing on the paper in Layla’s hand. “What language is that?”
Holt grimaced and shrugged. “I’m not sure. It may be the First Ones’ original language, or more likely, it’s a code. When the time is right, it should make sense.”
“Okaaayyy.” Samson furrowed his brow, disbelief stamped upon his features. “What happens after that?”
Holt cleared his throat. “Then…then, I don’t know what happens.”
Samson’s jaw tightened. “What do you mean you don’t know?”
“I believe, by reading those words, Layla can bring about the destruction of Haddey, but I’m not exactly sure how Haddey will fall. As the Fulfillment, the way should be made clear to Layla when the time is right.” He turned to her. “Do you have any inkling?”
The attention of every person in the room shifted to her. Twin pink roses bloomed on Layla’s cheeks. “I don’t.”
With her proclamation, the room erupted. Everyone began voicing his or her own opinion regarding the First Ones and the extraction. Wil leaned close to Layla.
Her pale, drawn face worried him. “You’ll figure it out.”
“I honestly don’t have the faintest idea what to do. It’s up to me. Me, Wil. If I fail—”
He took her hand and pressed it against his heart. “You won’t fail. I believe in you. I know you will figure this out, and I’ll be right there with you the whole time.”
“You need to be with Mia. You need to protect your child.”
“I’ll make sure my daughter is kept safe, but I want you to know I’ll be there for you too, if you need me.”
Layla nodded, though she kept her hair over her face and her eyes downcast. Wil longed to see her better, to get an idea of her thinking, but he didn’t lift her chin. He couldn’t ask her for more than she wanted to give, especially when he had so little to give her in return.
He squeezed her hand. “I believe in you.”
Chapter Eighteen
Wil
Wil circled Mia, taking in the full effect of her shift. She’d mimicked Werrick right down to the beady black eyes and perpetual scowl. But he wondered if she could mirror his cadence and gestures. Of them all, she’d spent the least amount of time with him, only observing his occasional interactions with Cataleen. They’d spent most of the morning going over what she should say, but still, he worried. If they didn’t pull off this rouse, they’d have trouble from both the Voltons and the Ecclesiastics.
Layla opened the door to Holt’s quarters and motioned for Wil and Mia to come out. “The Ecclesiastics rode all night when they heard the news. They’re here demanding to see the Elder.”
Wil followed behind Mia. She toddled down the hall, a bit unsteady given Werrick’s girth. As he glanced around, he noticed four angry Ecclesiastics waiting in the entrance of the main doorway. Their black robes stood dark and menacing when compared to the fresh green of the Voltons’.
“Brothers.” Mia’s cadence matched the Elder’s.
A bald Ecclesiastic bustled forward and lowered his hairless head in a curt nod. “Elder, I don’t understand the meaning of this. You came to Volton, stayed to help with some project, and now you’re resigning your position? It’s unheard of.”
“Shall we retire to a more private venue?” Mia gestured to the gawking Voltons.
“You may be comfortable in the bowels of their building, but I prefer to remain here.”
Another black-clad man joined them. “Brother Sutton, don’t be rigid. Surely you don’t wish to conduct Ecclesiastical business for all the world to see.”
Sutton narrowed his brown eyes. “Fine, Brother Enoch, we’ll do it your way.”
Mia motioned for the men to follow her down the winding hallway to Holt’s rooms. When they stepped inside, she took the lone chair and offered them places on the couch. The four men squeezed together on the narrow seat.
“Why are they here? We’re conducting business that does not involve them.” Sutton pointed to Wil, Layla, and Samson.
Mia waved a dismissive hand. “Don’t mind them. You’ve come to hear what I have to say, so I’ll be brief.”
Sutton frowned but nodded. “Continue.”
“Since I joined the Ecclesiastics, I’ve been working with the Outlander queen.”
Three of the four Brothers sank into the couch, surprise dotting the landscapes of their faces. Only Sutton received the news with no reaction.
Mia smiled. “As have you, Brother Sutton.”
Wil tried to hide his surprise. In all their discussion and preparation for this moment, Mia had never once told him of the involvement of other Ecclesiastics.
The bald man leapt to his feet. “I did not come here to be blasphemed, Werrick! If you want to leave us, leave. But don’t think you’ll drag anyone else down with you.”
“The Outlander queen is here in Volton. She can confirm your involvement.”
Sutton paled. “She’s here?”
Brother Enoch scratched his chin, a troubled look on his face. “If this is true, you have both violated you Ecclesiastical vows of neutrality.”
Mia nodded. “Which is why I must resign my position as Elder. I plan to return to the Outlands and live out my days in servitude to the queen.”
Enoch frowned. “No Elder has ever resigned his position. We have no precedent for what to do.”
Wil held his breath. They’d discussed what to do in this moment, but Mia had gone off script once already by calling out Sutton.
Mia rubbed her chin. “I believe I have the right to issue decrees until my resignation is official. I will do so now before I pass the title of Elder on to you, Brother Enoch.”
“Me? I’m not qualified.”
A slow smile spread across Mia’s face. “You’re not aligned with the queen, and you counseled Brother Sutton to show deference to the Voltons. That’s qualification enough for me.”
Sutton bent down in Mia’s face. “What’s the matter with you, Werrick? Have you lost your mind? You’re never apologetic nor conciliatory. You’ve always hated the Voltons and served only the queen. Why the change now? What have these Voltons done to you?”
The other three Brothers frowned. Enoch nodded. “He’s right, Werrick. Why this sudden change?”
Wil’s heart pounded. Mia’s control over the situation had begun to slip. Beside him, Samson tapped the hilt of his sword. If Mia failed…Wil shoved the dreadful thought from his mind.
Mia raised her head and stared up at the ceiling with reverence. “When I joined the Ecclesiastics, I did so as a spy for the Outlander queen. But recently, I’ve become a believer—a true believer.”
Enoch clutched his chest. “You never truly believed?”
Mia shook her head slowly from side to side. “No. I only believed in myself and in the queen. But now I believe in the First Ones and their plan.”
Enoch smiled, his face alight. “I always believed the First Ones would find you, Werrick. I prayed you would one day believe.”
“I also believe in peace and in the Fulfillment. I believe in her.” Mia pointed at Layla.
Layla stood up straighter. “Me?”
Mia nodded. “For my final act as your Elder, I declare Layla Givens the Fulfillment.”
Enoch scratched his head. “But you already did that at the last Day of Dawning ceremony.”
“I did, but I only did so because I thought I could control her for the sake of the queen. Now, with a true heart and with faith in the First Ones, I’m declaring her the official Fulfillment. I demand the immediate release of all Prophecy Candidates. My experiments on them were heinous and against the wishes of the First Ones.” Mia glanced at Samson, who smiled broadly. “The Voltons have set up a special camp here for the Prophecy Candidates. They will care for them and try to reverse the damage we inflicted. Please see to it that all Candidates are sent to Volton immediately.
Enoch beamed. “Yes, yes. Of course, Werrick. Blessed be the First Ones.”
“Blessed be the First Ones.” Mia bowed her head for a moment.
Sutton snickered. “Do you really expect me to believe you’ve grown a conscience, Werrick? I know you. I know you’re rotten down to your very core.”
Enoch stood. “Brother Sutton, do not mock the true faith of a believer. You once proclaimed to be one yourself, but now the First Ones have seen fit to bring your true self to light. You are released from your duties as an Ecclesiastic, effective now.”
Sutton’s lip curled. “And just where am I expected to go, Enoch?”
“Maybe your queen will take you back.”
Sutton raised a hand to strike Enoch, but Mia grabbed it in midair. “Don’t even think about it. Run home with your tail between your legs. Maybe our queen can find a place for you scrubbing the floors and emptying chamber pots.”
“Why you…” Sutton grabbed Mia around the neck. Her arms flailed.
As Wil and Layla moved to break them up, Samson leapt over a side table and landed beside Sutton. He grabbed the Ecclesiastic by the shoulders and wrestled him out the door.
Wil tensed. Mia had deviated from their plan a great deal. He glanced at Layla who shrugged. Frowning, he turned his attention back to the remaining Ecclesiastics.
Mia stood. “Before I officially resign, may I ask that you try to maintain a civil relationship with the Voltons when you are Elder, Brother Enoch?”
Enoch leapt up and bobbed his head u
p and down with enthusiasm. “Yes, Werrick. I too believe in peace for the three kingdoms and the Borderlands.”
Mia patted the man’s shoulder. “Good. Then I officially resign as Elder of the Ecclesiastics and appoint Brother Enoch as the new Elder.” She pointed at the two men who now stood on either side of him. “You two shall bear witness for what happened here today.”
Enoch grabbed Mia’s upper arm. “Thank you for what you’ve done. I believe peace is possible for us all.” He walked toward the door but paused beside Layla. “I am honored to meet the Fulfillment.” He bowed before heading off down the hallway, the other two Ecclesiastics close on his heels.
Samson passed the retreating Ecclesiastics on his way back and slammed the door shut. He picked Mia up, despite her Elder Werrick girth, and twirled her around in the air. She laughed, shimmered, and returned to her normal appearance. Wil and Layla watched with their mouths agape. Wil tried to wrap his mind around Samson’s sudden change in demeanor.
The Vanguard kissed Mia’s cheek. “You got them to release the Prophecy Candidates.”
She blushed. “Of course. You told me how badly they’d been treated and how much you longed to free them. So I did it.”
Samson laughed and kissed her cheek again. “Thank you, Mia. Thank you.”
Chapter Nineteen
Layla
Even though a partial moon hung in the sky, Layla’s path stretched out before her in inky blackness. She tripped over a root and cursed.
Behind her, Samson stumbled too, perhaps over the same root. “How much farther?”
“Shhhh,” Grant whispered. “The Volton said to stay quiet until we reached the ritual site.” Samson muttered something unintelligible under his breath.
Layla reached into her pocket and ran her fingers along the smooth sides of the paper. She’d read the words inscribed on it countless times, but they still made no sense. And before he left to prepare the site, Holt had given her a bag filled with sage, salt, candles, and a flask of water, but she had no idea what to do with any of it. She wiped a sweaty palm on her pant leg. If they missed this opportunity to extract and kill Haddey, they may never get another.