by A. J. Rosen
“Kristen, I need you.”
Maybe it was the urgency in my voice or the way I called her Kristen instead of my usual Kris, but whatever it was, my best friend nodded and quickly followed me to the corner of the living room in her family’s suite.
“What is it, Ave?” Kris put one hand on my arm and rubbed her thumb up and down, her way of telling me that no matter how dire the situation was, she would be there for me.
Before I could continue, Kris’s parents, Kristov and Jane Ambrosia, walked in. I gave Kris a nudge. I whispered, “Did I come at the wrong time?”
“Not really,” she whispered back. “Domenico’s having dinner with us, that’s all.”
I had come at the wrong time. I had totally forgotten Kris had mentioned that Domenico would be meeting her parents tonight.
“Avery, dear, Kristen told us you were coming. I had Augusta cook an extra portion,” Jane said, motioning for both of us to join them. “Come. Dinner’s ready.” Jane moved to the dining room, closely followed by her husband.
“We can talk after.” Domenico trailed after Kris’s parents, looking far too eager to win over his future in-laws. My chest grew tight; he looked every bit like Carlo. My nightmare came flooding back to me and I wondered if I would ever get used to seeing Domenico without thinking about Carlo.
“Are you sure it can wait?”
I wasn’t sure, but I also didn’t have the heart to ruin this important dinner. “Yeah. I’m sorry; I totally forgot.”
“No need to apologize! I’m glad you’re here. It makes me less nervous about the whole situation.”
Once settled next to Kris at the table, I noticed Vlad wasn’t here. The dinner wasn’t formal, but it wasn’t normal either. Jane and Kristov spent more time asking Domenico questions than they did paying attention to the food in front of them. Frankly, I was convinced they were better interrogators than the Court Guards. But Domenico had made it through most of the parental interrogation by the time our second course was served, and Jane and Kristov were warming up to him.
“So, Domenico, tell me—” Kristov’s millionth question was interrupted by the sound of the front door opening and closing, and footsteps approaching. Domenico seized the opportunity to take a large gulp of water.
A moment later, Vlad, wearing a dark-brown, nearly black trench coat, slid into the room. “My apologies for being late. The trial lasted longer than I thought. And I had to help out the lawyer.” He moved next to Jane and planted a kiss on her cheek, causing her to smile instantly.
“No matter, dear, as long as you’re here with us now. I really don’t like how you have to travel back and forth. Can’t you arrange to just work from here for the rest of December?”
Vlad squeezed Jane’s shoulder to reassure her. “You’ve asked me that pretty much every day, Mom. I can only work from here on days when the trial isn’t going on. They are already being very lenient with me. I can’t risk losing this internship.”
“We are very proud of you, Son.” Kristov Ambrosia stood and the two of them walked toward each other to meet in the middle, right in front of me. His father patted his shoulder lightly. “How was the trial?”
“Tough.” Vlad’s voice dropped to a whisper. “But don’t worry, we’ll find a way.”
“I know you will,” Kristov said.
Naturally, Vlad took the only available seat left at the dining table—directly in front of me—and settled once he took off his coat. One of the younger maids came and offered to hang the coat up for him. She blushed when he thanked her.
With my encounter with the bald guy clouding my mind, I lost my appetite and found myself pushing my food around with my fork and knife. I had had a late lunch with Adrian, just a few hours ago, but that usually wouldn’t have stopped me from eating. I hated how everything that was going on could influence my relationship with food. Augusta had made such a delicious meal and I felt guilty wasting it, but my stomach was not in the mood.
“Are you not fond of the fish, Avery dear?” Jane Ambrosia asked, her cutlery paused above her plate. “Do you perhaps wish to have something else instead?” She nodded at the maid standing behind her, indicating for her to come forward.
“No, Jane, please. I actually had a late lunch before I came here, so I’m not really that hungry.”
“Very well then. Perhaps your appetite will return when the desserts are served.” Jane winked.
I let out a small laugh and nodded. Jane Ambrosia was more of a mother than my own mom. I had had many meals at the Ambrosias’ over the years, and she had paid attention to what my favorite foods and desserts were—something that my own mother didn’t even bother with. Jane was also the only Pure Royal, besides my friends and Kristov, who had told me to call her by her given name and not by her title.
The maid took away my plate and I sat awkwardly as everyone else finished their food. Domenico seemed to be winning over Kris’s parents. I was right, Kris had nothing to worry about. As I tried to focus on the details of Domenico’s story about the time he lost his small dog only to find him in their neighbor’s garden, eating their tomatoes, I felt Vlad’s gaze on me. I looked over at him, then tore my eyes from Vlad’s and shifted my focus back to Domenico, pretending to laugh along with the rest of the table. I felt that Vlad could sense my worry somehow.
Jane had been right; my appetite did return once the dessert was served. It was like they said: there was always room for dessert! Plus, I couldn’t turn down my favorite chocolate soufflé. I sighed dreamily as the plate was placed in front of me. With just one spoonful, my mood lightened. “My treasure,” I whispered quietly. Not that quiet apparently because I saw Vlad try not to smile.
After the maids cleared away our plates and everyone was sitting in the living room having a cup of tea or coffee, Kris and I excused ourselves to go to her room. Domenico was making comfortable conversation with Kris’s parents by this point in the evening, and I could tell that Kris was much more at ease, so I didn’t feel bad about pulling her away. Right before we left, Kris and Domenico shared a look and I knew there was a conversation going on between them.
“What was that?” I asked once we got to Kris’s bedroom.
“Nothing. I told Domenico to keep my parents and Vlad occupied.” Kris closed her bedroom door.
We sat cross-legged on her bed. I was happy to be alone with her—between me being banished from all the Gathering events and her commitments to Domenico and his family during their time of grief, I felt like we had barely spent any time with each other over the last few days.
“Tell me what’s up,” I said.
“You know you’re my best friend, right?”
“Yes, of course.” I didn’t see where she was going with this.
“What I mean is, don’t push me away. We’re best friends, we don’t turn away from each other.”
Before I could say another word, we jumped as someone knocked at the door. Kris called for whoever it was to come in. The knob turned and the door opened to reveal Vlad on the other side. “Do Mom and Dad need something?” Kris asked him.
“No,” Vlad answered, his eyes on me. “What’s going on? I knew there was something wrong the second I saw you at dinner.”
“Nothing,” I said casually.
“Maybe it’s best if he also knows,” said Kris.
“Avy,” Vlad said softly, his expression growing serious. “You might as well tell us what’s bothering you.”
“Why should I?”
“Because I want to help,” Vlad said.
I looked at my best friend, who was nodding vigorously, then moved my gaze to Vlad, who practically looked like he was ready to slay a dragon for me. “Fine,” I said.
All the secrets I had been keeping from my best friend were eating away at me, and there was no way for me to tell her all my fears without breaching the nondisclosure agreement that I
had signed. I decided to take my chances. I told them about the incident with the scary woman in the jail, then the troubling phone call I had answered for my dad, and finally about the weird encounter I had had with the caller with the strange tattoo. Kris gasped every now and then while Vlad listened intently as I went on, the lines on his forehead seeming to deepen with every passing minute.
“I don’t know if it is a coincidence, but Adrian said he thought he saw a bald man watching us earlier.” I shuddered. “This man referred to me as ‘the girl,’ and now he might be following me. He probably knows I’m here. I’m really getting freaked out.”
Worry flashed across Vlad’s face. “You shouldn’t be alone at any time,” he said.
As much as the situation was bothering me, I wasn’t about to let Vlad swoop in and take charge. “I think I’ve proven I can handle being alone.”
Vlad let out an exasperated sigh. He probably already knew that I wouldn’t agree with him so easily. “I’m serious.”
“Well, me too.”
His voice was stern as he said, “It’s not about proving that you can handle being alone. It’s about you being safe. I’ll accompany you around Court from now on and make sure this guy keeps his distance.”
“Look, General, I’m not a damsel in distress, so you can put your shining armor away, okay.”
He gritted his teeth, and by the way his hands curled into fists, I could tell he was close to the edge. “What is wrong with you? Stop being so stubborn.”
“What’s wrong with me? Not much. My mom had me tested.” I shrugged nonchalantly. I wasn’t trying to antagonize him, but he was acting like it was his decision to make, and it made me feel like he thought of me as a weak little girl who knew nothing. I understood how potentially dangerous this situation was, but that didn’t mean I would let him go back to his patronizing ways.
“Your life could be at stake!” His voice was getting louder and I was worried his parents might hear us.
“And I told you, I can take care of myself,” I said.
Our bodies were close to each other by this point. We both refused to lose the argument. Kris came between us, putting her hands on our shoulders in an attempt to calm us down. “Don’t fight, guys. Ave, I know you’re tough. But Vlad is right—it is dangerous. You don’t know who they are or what they want. I just—” My best friend’s voice broke. “I just don’t want to risk losing you.”
I knew that if I were in her shoes and she were in mine, I would want at least a half dozen Court Guards to accompany her everywhere, twenty-four seven, so I understood her concern. For that reason alone, I was willing to swallow my pride—a little, not too much, though. “Fine. If it’ll make you feel better, I’ll take the babysitter.” I pointed my finger at Vlad. “Looks like you’ll be my nanny now, General.”
My best friend smiled gratefully and hugged me. I was just hoping this wouldn’t interfere with my mission.
Vlad interrupted our hug. “Do you remember what the tattoo looked like?”
“Why?” Hope started building inside me that this could be a legitimate lead that Vlad had picked up on. “Do you think it could mean something?”
“Yeah. Could you describe it to me?” Vlad pressed.
“It was jet black. The whole thing was round, like some sort of emblem.” I closed my eyes as I tried to recall the details of the image. “It was like one of those fringed helmets worn by the armies in any movie about the Spartans. And the guy had it on his inner wrist.”
“I think I know what you’re referring to.” Vlad fished out his phone and tapped his screen rapidly before showing it to me and Kris. “Just to be sure, did it look more or less like this?”
“Yeah. Except there was gold lining here. Not just yellow, gold.”
Vlad and Kris shared a look before he turned to me. “The Myrmidons.”
“Wait! That creepy woman mentioned the Myrmidons. I swear I’ve read about them somewhere. Was it in Homer’s Illiad? I think they’re Achilles’s soldiers, right?”
Vlad was more than happy to elaborate. “The name comes from the Greek murmedon, derived from the Greek word for ant, myrmex, meaning ‘ant bed’ or ‘ant’s nest,’” Vlad slid his phone back into his pocket. “A long time ago, a princess of Phthiotis called Eurymedousa was seduced by Zeus. He transformed both of them into ants so they could carry on their affair without his wife, Hera, being able to catch them.”
“I’ve never heard that version,” I murmured to myself.
“There are lots of versions, but this one’s what we Hellenicus believe to be true.” He saw my face scrunch up and chuckled. “I know. It sounds bizarre, but that’s what happened. It led to them having a demigod son, King Myrmidon. Eventually, Hera found out about the affair and cursed the land. Everyone suffered from a great plague and died.”
“That’s awful!” I had always known that Hera was insanely jealous—who could blame her; Zeus was such a man-whore—but I never thought she would do something as drastic as punishing an entire nation.
“The gods can be unkind.” Kris chimed in. “And Hera, well, she can be ruthless when she gets jealous.”
“What happened then?”
“Myrmidon lived, but what’s a king without his people. So he prayed to Zeus to fix what Hera had done. Bringing people back from the dead is taboo because it imbalances nature.” Vlad took a brief pause. “In response, Zeus turned the ants who resided in his sacred tree into people. The small insects rose up from the ant bed on the oak to become strong, brave, and diligent people.”
“Wait.” I held up one hand. “Did you just say his sacred tree? Are you referring to—”
Vlad nodded, seemingly knowing where my thought was headed. “The Whispering Oak of Dodona, yes.”
“The people who have this tattoo are actually in a cult that worships the oak tree?”
My best friend shook her head. “I don’t think that’s how it works, Ave.”
“I don’t think it’s a cult. Myrmidons are more like soldiers, militaristic people. They are disciplined and focused. They obey orders without question—quickly and efficiently—doing whatever they are told. Myrmidons have an innate understanding of weapons, fighting, and tactics. They can also resist mind manipulation. They’re trained to be immune to any kind of mind control that would compromise their moral integrity. Moreover, they are very loyal and will choose to die over disobeying an order or breaking a promise.”
“They sound like a badass army.” He hadn’t answered my question, though. “But what are they doing at the Court?”
“No clue. But the fact that he’s here on Court Grounds means he has permission to be here.”
“Do you guys think—” I swallowed hard, unsure if my theory held any value. “Do you guys think the Myrmidons are here because the queen allowed them to be?”
Kris bit her bottom lip, looking uncomfortable with the whole thing, but Vlad gave me confirmation via a curt nod. “That seems likely.”
“That creepy woman mentioned the Faction. Do you think the Faction is actually the Myrmidons?”
“That’s why you asked the other night at dinner?” Vlad asked.
“Did you get any more info from your dad?” I asked.
He shook his head dejectedly. One look at my best friend and I knew she had no clue either.
Meeting a temporary dead end, we decided to hold our discussion for another time. Kris had to get back to her parents and Domenico, and, with even more things weighing on my mind now, all I wanted was to go home and get some rest.
Kris gave me a tight hug then walked us to the front door. “Call me if you need anything, Ave. Even if you can’t sleep, just pick up the phone and I’ll rush to you with chocolate chip cookies and warm milk, okay?”
“I might take you up on the offer.”
As we stepped out of the indigo-blue door, I noticed the red door
across the hall; it was the same as the one in my dream from my first night of the Gathering. Turning to Vlad, I pointed to it and asked, “Where does that door lead?”
“The queen’s residence.”
Now that the door was in front of me, and very much real—not just a dream—I couldn’t help but wonder how many other parts of the dream were also real. “Is there another set of doors beyond it—for each Pure Royal family?”
That got his full attention. “How did you know?” He knitted his brows as he asked.
“Just a guess.” I paused and chose my words carefully. I was sure it would freak him out if I told him about the dream. “Tell me about them.”
Vlad looked at me a little curiously but obliged. “There’s a door to represent each of the Pure Royal families: Christoulakis, Ambrosia, and Stavros.”
“Zeus, Poseidon, Hades.”
“Exactly. Legend has it that each door accesses each god’s realm. One to the sky realm, one to the sea, and the third to the Underworld. Practically speaking, it’s where Pure Royal families keep their artifacts and sacred offerings to the gods. Well, where the Ambrosia and Christoulakis families do. Of course, the Stavros door hasn’t been used in a long time.”
I could see them perfectly, the doors from my dream—the doors that actually existed. How had I known?
Soon, we arrived back in front of my door at the Hyped, where I punched in the code on the keypad and started to swing the door open. Vlad put one hand on my shoulder and let the door close again. “What is it?”
“I don’t mean to babysit you. It’s not that I don’t think you can take care of yourself. I know you can. I’ve seen how strong you can be over the last few days. But I could never forgive myself if anything happened to you. And I don’t want to take any chances. You can hate me for being ridiculously stubborn. I’d rather be hated than see you hurt.”