“Would you have believed me?”
“I trusted you. I would have believed you.” He raised an eyebrow, and she sighed. “In the same way I believed you about this world at first,” she conceded. “How old was I when that happened?”
“Two.”
“So if I was in the castle, I’m either the child of a Guardian or part of the royal family.”
“You don’t have Guardian powers,” Nick pointed out.
“And Neiszhe didn’t curtsy for you, so I’m royalty. What am I to the King and Queen?”
Nick hesitated, but he could not avoid the truth any longer.
“Nick?”
“You’re their daughter.”
She stared at him. Her mouth opened, closed, then opened once more before she forced out a whisper. “Are you saying I’m a princess?”
“No.” He took her hand in his. “I’m not. I’m saying to anyone who doesn’t recognize Garon’s rule in this kingdom, you’re our Queen.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
THE AIR grew cold. It hung thick and raw, nipping at Meaghan with sharp ice teeth that turned her skin red. She pulled her cloak tight, grateful Nick had thought to get one for each of them before they had left the village. The thick wool blocked some of the air, warming her skin, though she wished it would do the same for her mind.
They had been walking since the sun fell below the horizon. The moon failed to show its face, leaving only a few brave stars for guidance through the ominous dark. The night stretched out somber before them, its stillness broken only by the occasional reprieve of a songless bird, its soft feathers rustling through the tar black sky. Animals skulked in the shadows, watching them with amber eyes that glinted as she and Nick passed. Their unblinking surveillance seemed to warn of a perilous future, and Meaghan heeded the warning, taking tentative steps to maintain the quiet commanded by the sleeping earth.
Though darkness provided their journey some cover, the fields left them vulnerable for miles, visible to any who wanted to seek them out. The thought tensed her muscles and locked her words into shallow whispers spoken out of strict necessity. Hours stretched silence between her and Nick. Hours in which she had time to focus on the single word numbing her mind.
Queen.
The word carried a weight she had never felt before. She knew nothing of this kingdom, nothing of its practices, its people, its laws, and yet, she had become its leader. The absurd notion poised another argument in her mind for the abolition of monarchies. A leader should have experience and knowledge, age and wisdom. She had none of those things. Her leadership experience extended only to a handful of club offices she had held in high school and a one-time stint as a camp counselor two summers ago. Her knowledge of this world extended to half a week of detrimental days in which survival counted more on luck than expertise.
Cal would have made a better choice to lead, or even Nick, despite his young age, could have done a better job. But because she shared the genetics of the people who had previously run the kingdom, she now owned the responsibility.
She supposed it would have made sense if her parents had raised her. If she had had the luxury of watching them rule every day of her life, of learning from their experiences, she could see taking the role.
But she had never had the chance. She had never known that life or her birthright. Removed from the world well before she could remember living on it, she felt like she belonged in the kingdom as much as she belonged on Mars.
It did not seem fair to the people who looked to her for leadership, and because her adoptive mother—her true mother—had raised her to do the right thing, she knew she had to convince Nick of that fact. If she could convince him she did not belong as Queen, he could convince the Elders. Together, they could figure out a way to replace her.
“Are you okay?”
Nick’s question broke through her reverie and she focused her mind again on their surroundings. They walked along the edge of a small cropping of trees, an oasis in the near endless field. He stopped and she did the same.
“Meg, I asked if you were all right.”
She nodded in answer, and then turned her gaze toward the horizon. The sun had begun to rise, streaking the sky with pockets of deep red and orange. The surreal scene felt too peaceful for the turmoil within her.
Nick took a step toward her. She returned her eyes to him. “Do you realize I’ve been talking to you?”
“I….uh,” she hesitated. “No. What did you need?”
“Food and shelter,” he said, adjusting the backpack on his shoulders. He nodded toward the trees beside them without removing his focus from her. “I was saying this might be a good place to set up for the day. It will be bright soon. And Meg,” he lowered his voice when she trailed her eyes away again. “I think it’s time for us to finish our conversation.”
“There’s nothing left to discuss.”
“There is. I know you’re upset with me. That was obvious when you refused to continue talking yesterday, but you can’t ignore this.”
“I’m not upset with you. It’s a lot to accept.”
“It is,” he agreed, “and I don’t mean to sound callous, but you don’t have a choice. You can’t change who you are. Did you sleep at all?”
She shook her head. “I couldn’t.”
“I didn’t think so. You need sleep, so we’ll definitely stop here. You can take the first sleeping shift.”
“Fine,” she conceded to the stop, but she did not feel settled by his decree. “I don’t understand why I don’t have a choice in this though. The idea of me being royalty is,” she paused, searching for the right word and then decided to call it as she saw it, “absurd. I don’t belong here.”
“Absurd,” Nick echoed, his voice taking on a chill she had not expected. “We have different views on that, but we’ll discuss it after we eat. And we will discuss it,” he said, holding her with a firm gaze that curbed her instinct to argue. “You’ve been distracted all day and it’s not safe. We need to get this out of the way so you can stay focused.”
He turned from her and started walking again. She followed, resuming her silence. Although the trees covered no more than an acre, their dense canopy provided enough coverage to keep them out of sight for the day. Nick threaded his way through the small forest until he found a patch of land clear enough to allow them to set up camp. He eased the backpack from his shoulders, and then dug a hole using a stick. Within the hole, he built a fire. Meaghan removed the blanket from the backpack and spread it out in front of the fire.
“I’ll find something to eat,” Nick told her when she sat down on the blanket. “Wait here, okay?”
She nodded and he disappeared into the trees. Crossing her legs in front of her, she stretched her hands toward the fire. As her muscles warmed, they relaxed and she struggled to ignore the tiredness tugging at her eyelids. She tried to stay awake by outlining the conversation she wanted to have with Nick. When she had told him how she felt about her leadership role, his anger had surprised her, but she knew him well enough to convince him of her feelings if she approached it the right way. She only had to figure out what approach would work best. She stared at the fire, at the wisps of smoke it created, and drew her knees up to her chin. She felt too weary to think straight, so she allowed the flames to lull her into calm.
The fire’s steady flickering took on a deeper glow as it feasted on the fallen limbs Nick had used for fuel. A chilling breeze reached through the forest, and Meaghan tightened her arms around her legs. The smoke grew thicker, and then a log popped. Sparks scattered toward her, dying before they reached the blanket. The fire flared, jumping a foot higher into the air and Meaghan almost did the same. She scrambled to her feet, yanking the blanket away from the fire before another shower of sparks spread across the ground.
“Find the child.”
The command came from nowhere and Meaghan startled again, surprised by the sudden noise, but not frightened by it. Although Cal’s voice sounded
distorted within the element, she recognized it, and she heard the panic in it.
“Who?” she asked, directing her question toward the flames.
“No time. He’s in danger. Find him.”
Sparks showered across the ground again, singeing a pile of dried leaves and lighting it. Meaghan ran to the budding blaze. Using the blanket, she beat out the flames before they could spread. When she turned back to the fire, it had returned to normal, and she knew Cal had left. She scanned the forest, confused by what he had said, but found nothing that would lead her to the child he had mentioned.
Dropping the blanket to the ground, she frowned down at the scorched grass. Deep brown and black scarring trailed at her feet, pointing toward the woods. Pointing in the shape of a distinguishable arrow. Her heart raced with the realization and she followed it, brushing past Nick as he reentered the clearing.
Cal’s command spurred her onward. She ignored Nick’s voice calling her and the sound of his feet rustling the ground as he chased her. She ignored fallen tree limbs as they battered her legs and the occasional rock that kicked her ankle. She ignored it all except the need to find the child, and the rancid smell drifting toward her. She knew even before she reached the tree line that Mardróch would greet her, and she knew they would have the child. This time the monsters had not come for her.
When the field came into view, she confirmed her suspicions. A young boy no more than four or five stood in the open, spotlighted by the increasing sun. A gentle breeze lifted a few strands of blonde hair from his head, and tears streaked down his face, but otherwise, he did not move as he remained captive to two Mardróch. They circled him, not attacking, and Meaghan realized they toyed with him. As one monster broke eye contact, the other came into view. The young child had only seconds to move, enough time to shift a foot forward before he became victim to another set of red eyes. They tortured him with the hope of an impossible escape. The cruel enjoyment the Mardróch gained from their game came across to Meaghan as rotting peat, a putrid odor with a sweet undercurrent that forced her to control her gag reflex.
She approached the edge of the field, speeding up to bolster her courage. She did not have a plan, but hoped one would come to her in time. A dozen steps from clearing the trees, a solid force hit her from behind, tackling her to the ground. She rolled with her attacker until he landed on top of her, pinning her wrists with his hands and her lower body with his legs. She glared up at him.
“Let me go,” she commanded, struggling against his grip.
“Keep your voice down,” Nick hissed in response. “They’ll hear you.”
“I intended for them to see me in another minute,” she countered, though she whispered in deference to his request. “I have to save the boy.”
“He’s as good as dead,” Nick said. “You can’t save him. You’ll only get killed in the process.”
“I won’t.” She struggled harder against him, thrashing though he tightened his grip in response. “Cal was in the fire. He said—”
“I don’t give a damn what Cal said,” Nick shot back, his breath short and his eyes hard with anger. “You’re my responsibility and I won’t let you go out there.”
“I have to.”
“Not a chance.”
Meaghan’s wrists hurt from his grip and she stopped struggling. He relaxed his hold, though he kept her pinned.
“So you’ll let him die?” she asked. “How can you be so cruel?”
“I’m sorry,” he said and she turned her head from him. “Please, Meg, you have to understand—”
“No, I don’t.” Her eyes met his again, the anger in them matching the venom in her voice. “I don’t and I won’t.”
Taking advantage of his relaxed grip, she made one last attempt at breaking free, resorting to a move she had learned years before in a self-defense course. Planting her feet on the ground, she bent her legs and arched her back upward, throwing him off balance and off her. At the same time, she jerked her arms down, forcing him to break his grip. As he struggled to his feet, she jumped to hers, and fled.
She doubled her pace as she ran, tearing past the remainder of the trees and across the open field toward the boy.
“Get away from him!” she screamed at the monsters.
Surprised by the attack, the Mardróch turned to look at her, breaking their eye contact with the boy. He ran from them, toward Meaghan, and the Mardróch followed. The boy reached her before the Mardróch and she dropped to the ground, scooping him into her arms. The monsters flanked her and the boy buried his head in her shoulder to prevent eye contact with the creatures. Meaghan did not have time to avert her eyes. She stared into their red orbs, surprised to find the color in them swirling, a continuous liquid rather than the solid irises she expected. Her breath caught in her throat and for a moment, she froze.
The odor or rotting flesh overwhelmed her senses, searing her nose. Instinct forced her to inhale to clear it from her airways and she smiled with the realization Nick’s theory had been correct. The Mardróch’s power had no effect on her. She stood, lifting the boy into her arms.
A hiss of surprise erupted from one of the creatures. “The immune one,” he spoke, his voice a guttural mix of road gravel and raspy breath. “We’ve been looking for you. There’s a prize for your death.” He let out a rattling noise that sounded like screws bouncing in a tin can. Laughter, Meaghan realized, and her blood chilled. “Run,” the creature croaked. “It will make for a better story.”
He raised his hands. Blue lightning arced from fingertip to fingertip and Meaghan tightened her grip on the boy, backing away as she looked for a way out. Nick stood a dozen yards from them, unseen by the Mardróch, though he remained frozen as if hypnotized by their power. His face was white and she thought she saw the glint of tears in his eyes. He no longer blocked her. His fear rolled over her, followed by a deep grief that squeezed her heart. She hardened her heart against it, knowing as he did that he could not help her, and kept scanning the field. Nothing offered hope. The trees behind her seemed too far, but they were her only chance. She turned toward them as a flash of lightning blew apart the ground beside her. She felt heat singe her skin and swallowed, controlling her panic as she ran.
Another bolt landed behind her, and then a third and fourth fell to her right. Two more hit at once, missing her to the left as she swerved. The attack came quicker and closer and she feared Nick’s warning had been right. Her ill-planned rescue attempt would get them all killed. She swallowed the bile in her throat and pushed her legs harder.
“I’m scared,” the boy in her arms whimpered. “Make them stop.”
“I can’t,” she responded between gasps. “I’m sorry.”
“They’re mean,” he said, squeezing his eyes shut and burying his head into her neck. “Mean creatures with red eyes,” he whispered. “You’re not nice. Freeze and die.”
A loud crack echoed behind them followed by an eerie silence. Meaghan could no longer sense Nick’s emotions and sorrow washed over her as she feared the worst. She stifled the fear, determined still to save the boy, and continued running. Reaching the trees, she ducked under the canopy, certain the Mardróch could not be far behind, then listened for their pursuit. Only the sound of her own footfalls met her ears. No lightning skirted them. The earth no longer exploded at her heels. The sounds of chase had ceased.
She struggled against her instinct of flight and stopped, turning to look at the field. Less than thirty feet away, two statues stood where only grass had been before, each sculpted with the features of a Mardróch. Nick stood beside them. He traced the stone with his fingers before knocking on one of the creature’s heads.
The boy wriggled in her arms and she let him go. He ran to the statues, using the bent arm of one of them to climb up its side, and then swung around to sit on its shoulders. Giggling, he covered the statues’ eyes, leaving his hands there before looking up at Meaghan.
Understanding passed between them, and then a grin of pride
slowly spread across the boy’s face.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
“THIS IS amazing.”
Meaghan scanned the stone figures in front of her, finding it impossible to disagree with Nick’s assessment. The chiseled statues captured every tiny detail, right down to the thin threads of webbing covering the creatures’ open mouths. Even the agony contoured on their faces appeared lifelike. Not lifelike, she realized with a shudder. It was life standing before her. Life turned to stone, frozen in death, and the agony had been real.
Freeze and die. The words echoed in her head and she turned her eyes from the Mardróch, feeling sick.
The boy stretched from his perch on the monster’s shoulders, reaching his arms toward Nick and Nick lifted him off the statue, then set him on the ground. He circled the statue, trailing his hand along the stone.
“I’ve never seen this before,” Nick said. “I don’t think there’s a power that can do this. Even the people who can turn things into stone have to be touching the object for their power to work. This isn’t possible.”
“Obviously it is,” Meaghan responded, stopping the boy as he passed. She lifted him into her arms. He squirmed, but settled when she tightened her grip. “What do we do with him?”
“Find his parents,” Nick answered. “But we’ll have to wait for nightfall. It’s not safe for you to be out in the open during the day, especially if there are Mardróch around.”
“You don’t need to be concerned with my safety,” she replied as she turned from him. “We’ll take him back to the camp for now, and then we’ll figure out what to do.”
Before Nick could respond, she walked away from him. He trailed her until they arrived at the campsite. The fire had reduced the wood to embers and he went to it to build it up again. She set the boy down on the blanket. Digging through the backpack for something to distract him, she found only her mother’s amulet. It did not seem like the best toy, but it was all she had. She sat down next to the boy and showed it to him.
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