The Gentleman

by H. P. Mallory

“How do we enter the vision?” I asked, ready to get this show on the road.

  “Relax your body. Then you must allow the scent of Mercedes’s charm to fill your lungs,” Mathilda answered. “Bryn, this part relies entirely upon you. You must concentrate and remember the very beginning of your vision, the entry point where the vision first appeared to you.”

  “Okay,” I said. Closing my eyes, I clutched my sister’s hand a little more tightly.

  “Are you there now?” Mathilda asked. “Do you see the vision? Is it exactly the same as you saw it the first time it made itself known to you?”

  “Yes,” I answered.

  “Very good. Now you must imagine Jolie being next to you, Bryn,” Mercedes said. “Jolie, you must focus on grasping Bryn’s hand. Imagine her pulling you with her wherever she chooses to go. You must follow her lead.”

  My sister didn’t say anything. She didn’t have to since I was already experiencing a strange sensation. Maybe we both were. I felt my body growing weightless, as if I were rising up off the bed and floating in the air. When I inhaled the sweet scent of magic more deeply, my body soared and levitated even higher.

  I could faintly hear Mercedes chanting in the background, but as the long seconds passed by, her voice seemed to fade away, as if it were coming from a much farther distance than before.

  My eyes began to grow heavy. The temporary blackness behind my eyelids soon gave way to something brighter. Colors started to appear, surrounding me in vivid hues of red, pink, blue, and green. And when the colors vanished entirely, I found myself standing in the middle of the forest. I had a feeling I was in the forest that bordered Kinloch Kirk.

  I glanced down at my hand and saw it was solid flesh. The scenery around me didn’t look as solid as my hand. Everything else looked like a watercolor painting—the colors were diluted and I could almost see right through them.

  Just as Mercedes predicted, I spotted a flame. It was standing unattended at nose level and right beside me. So this must have been the entry and exit point of the vision.

  Bryn?

  I heard my sister’s voice in my head as I wheeled around to find her standing on my other side.

  I guess we made it, I thought back to her.

  She nodded, and we turned around to take in our unusual surroundings. Although it was daytime, the sun seemed as if it were just starting to set. The heather was in full, fragrant bloom, and the grass of the forest floor was a verdant, mossy green. The salty sea air filled my nostrils—and it was so thick, I could taste the salt on my tongue.

  Birds were chirping loudly and I could hear little animals rustling around in the foliage. It seemed like the whole forest was alive with diverse creatures.

  The heather blooms twice a year, Jolie thought as she faced me. Once in early summer and again in late summer or early fall.

  Well, maybe it’s a good thing you came with me, because I didn’t know that! I thought with a smile. In fact, I didn’t even know it was heather.

  No way could I send you back here without me, my sister said as she faced the heather again.

  So, judging by the heather blossoms, the attack would have to come in late summer, I deduced. I wanted to stay on task so we could get the F outta here.

  Yes, so we should be ready by early summer.

  At the sound of heavy breathing followed by a grunt and then a laugh, we both glanced at each other in surprise.

  What do you think that was? Jolie asked.

  I shrugged, unable to place the sound. Not sure, but based on its laugh, I’d say it isn’t anything too menacing. I decided to pursue the sound, and Jolie was quick to follow behind me. Passing a large boulder, which had previously blocked our view, I found myself suddenly facing a translucent pair who were training for combat in the woods. Naturally, they were Sinjin and me.

  It took me a second to get used to seeing myself like that. It was the closest I’d ever come to having an out-of-body experience.

  He’s so patient with you, Jolie thought as she appeared beside me. Both of us watched the pair of apparitions as they sprinted toward each other and pretended to battle.

  The patience that Sinjin showed to me was mesmerizing. I also did not fail to notice the way he stared at me when I wasn’t looking at him. It was quite odd to see him from an outsider’s perspective. Especially when he studied me, or challenged me as he taught me all the battle moves I needed to know.

  His eyes seemed so soft and endearing when they raked over my body and face. I’d never seen a man look at me that way, and my heart suddenly warmed.

  Bryn, time is ticking, I heard Jolie shouting in my head. Remember what Mercedes said—we have to get in and out!

  I tore my gaze from the two of us sparring and nodded at Jolie. Do you think what we’ve seen is enough?

  Maybe? she answered with a shrug. Glancing up at the sky, a formation of black birds flew across it, and their shrill calls echoed. I rested my hand on a tree and it moved! At that moment, I realized we had better not touch anything and only observe the vision with our eyes.

  The sky was suddenly rent by a scream that sounded from behind us but not too far away. Jerking forward, I looked at my sister and watched the blood draining from her face, leaving a much paler version of herself standing next to me.

  No, Jolie, I started to say, but she barely spared me a single glance before running towards the direction from which the sound had come. She fled so fast, she almost collided with the translucent version of me.

  You can’t change anything! I yelled at her. Jolie!

  I have to know who made that sound! I have to see it for myself!

  This was the moment I wanted to avoid at all costs. But before I could stop her, she marched forward, pushing her way through the imaginary trees. Where are you going? I demanded.

  I have to see what happened! I have to understand the stakes here before I know what the real threat is!

  No, you don’t! I yelled back as I hurried after her. Jolie, this is something you definitely shouldn’t see!

  But she was too quick. By the time I reached her, either the vision had changed to deliver us to the front of Kinloch Kirk, or we managed to reach it by ourselves. It made no difference. A raging fire engulfed the buildings and the trees. The fountain in the courtyard was tipped over and the water was shooting wildly into the air.

  I watched the front doors open before Luce stepped through them. He was standing beside a young boy. The supreme elder of the Elementals still wore a long, white beard. It flowed around his body, ending below his waist. At the mere sight of him, I felt sick to my stomach.

  The boy with him had a powerful aura. It flickered like white sparks or colorless fireworks that nearly jumped from his skin. A woman stood in front of the doors and waited for the boy. When he spotted her, he grabbed hold of her and pulled her closer to him.

  I wanted to see who the woman was. But she was hidden by Luce and the boy so I couldn’t get a very good read on her. But my attention toward her didn’t last long. A translucent Sinjin stepped out from one of the corridors and the strange boy turned to face him. He began throwing his hands out and bolts of lightning emerged from his fingertips, sending Sinjin flying through the air.

  Facing my sister, I noticed she appeared to be stuck in place. Her eyes were wide, and I saw the fear on her face.

  We shouldn’t be here, I said to her as I reached down and took her hand.

  But Jolie was frozen where she stood, watching Sinjin trying to stand up but stumbling instead.

  My head snapped back to see Luce, and I read his lips. Like a playback in slow motion, he said to the boy, Let her go and we can finish what we came here to do; your training is almost complete.

  As I watched the vision, I realized we were entering into territory that was entirely new. I’d never seen these images unfolding in my nightmare before. It bothered me greatly because I didn’t want to see anything new. I’d already seen enough.

  Even so, I couldn’t pry my eyes from
what was happening directly in front of us—Luce and the boy were going after Sinjin! He was slowly picking himself up off the ground after the lightning bolts he received resulted in an ungodly amount of electricity inflicted on his weakened body.

  Sinjin wavered on his feet, and Luce threw a fireball at his head, which immediately forced him back down to the ground. I reminded myself that this wasn’t real, and I had to get control of myself so I didn’t fall victim to the vision.

  At that moment, I heard another scream—an erratic, fearful scream that I hadn’t heard the first time I experienced the vision. It came from Jolie’s room.

  That scream was real, I thought to myself and waves of panic started to spiral inside me. With a quick glance to my side, I noticed that my sister was no longer standing there. Rattled, I took off, heading toward the front doors to Kinloch, but they began to grow fuzzy before they shifted altogether. A new opening in the wall suddenly appeared twenty feet away. The dream was changing again. Things that never happened before were happening now. I couldn’t ignore the feeling that something terribly wrong was looming in the very near future.

  It must have been because Jolie wasn’t in control of her emotions any longer. She must have seen something that she couldn’t handle. Now, her pain was responding by changing the dreamscape. I threw my head back and stared up into the window where I saw my sister. She was holding the limp body of her deceased daughter in her arms as she cried maniacally for me.

  They killed my baby! she screamed at me in thought. And they’ve killed Rand too! Her words were frantic and sounded so desperate.

  Jolie, you have to remember! They’re not dead! It’s just a vision! It’s not real! You have to calm down. You’re going to shift the vision if you don’t, and we won’t be able to get back from it!

  Her mouth opened in a terrified scream, but I couldn’t hear any sound. The window simply vanished. Where I once saw Jolie, now there was nothing there but a solid wall. It seemed like the whole side of the house had simply swallowed her up entirely.

  I felt my heart flip-flopping before it started pounding loudly inside my chest. I glanced around, but everything was shifting like it was on fast forward and warping and changing.

  If you don’t get out right now, you’re going to lose yourself.

  The words formed in my head, and I realized at once they were true. I had to get back to the single flame, to leave the vision and return to Mercedes. I knew she would help me find my sister again. So I turned around and ran. Everything I saw continued to shift and morph, but I forced myself to keep moving forward, not slowing down my pace for anything.

  When I finally spotted the flame, I thrust my hand through it. I instantly felt like I was falling, tumbling into space without anything to catch me or hang on to. My eyes flew open and I sat upright while sucking in too much air. I started to choke and sputter before a fit of coughs seized me.

  “Jol, Jol,” I repeated breathlessly. One moment, I was lost inside the forest, and now I was back in a bedroom, surrounded by people, all of whom were staring at me. I glanced at my sister who lay next to me. Her body was lifeless on the bed.

  TWELVE

  Bryn

  “Why isn’t Jolie awake?” Rand asked as he leaned over her. Taking her by the arms, he shook her slightly. “What’s wrong with her?”

  “She got lost while I was in there!” I almost yelled back at him before turning to Mercedes. I was sitting on the bed, beside my sister, who looked dead for all intents and purposes. “The scenery started changing around us, and I was worried neither of us would be able to get back, so I had to return for help.”

  “You were not to leave her side!” Mercedes scolded me. Grabbing the bowl with her still smoldering charm, she rushed over to the table where she originally created the concoction.

  “It wasn’t by any choice of mine!” I yelled back at her, and my voice sounded panicked. “We heard a scream, and before I knew it, we were in the bad part of the vision. The one where Luce was destroying everything! Before I could stop her, she was gone!”

  Mercedes nodded, and Rand stepped away from his wife and started pacing the room. “What can you do?” he demanded from Mercedes, and his face was drawn and pale. “Is there something we must do? Can you send me to go after her?”

  “No,” she answered pointedly before turning back to me again. “We have so little time.” She placed the bowl in front of her and added a few things while she started stirring. Then she faced me again. “You both were in there for over a half hour, Bryn!”

  “It was less than fifteen minutes!” I insisted as I shook my head. “I timed it.”

  “Time operates differently inside your mind,” Mercedes explained somewhat absentmindedly.

  “So? What does that mean?” I replied.

  “It means you have scant minutes left to get her before she’s lost to us forever.” I watched her dumping the ingredients into the bowl as she stirred with fierce vigor.

  Sinjin strode up to Mercedes with purposeful intent. “I wish to return with the Lady Bryn.”

  “No,” Mercedes said as she shook her head vehemently. She continued adding her pinches of this and that to the concoction in the bowl, which was now foaming over the rim.

  “I refuse to take no for an answer,” Sinjin growled.

  “If anyone is going, it has to be me,” Rand argued. “She’s my wife.”

  “That’s exactly why you cannot go after her!” Mercedes snapped as she faced him. “We’ve already lost Jolie to the vision. You are too close to it too, which means if you go in, we could easily lose you too.”

  “I, on the other hand, will not fail,” Sinjin interjected as he smiled at Rand. Frowning back at him, Rand turned to face the window as he finger-combed a very agitated hand through his thick, dark hair.

  “It’s too dangerous to send anyone else back into the vision! We need to simply get Jolie out. End of story,” Mercedes argued.

  But Sinjin shook his head. “It is my primary role to protect the queen.” He turned and stared into my eyes. “To protect both of you.” Facing Mercedes again, he added, “I will not allow the Lady Bryn to return to the visionary state without my presence alongside her.”

  Mathilda touched Mercedes’ arm. “I believe Sinjin could be an asset, Mercedes.”

  Mercedes sighed and became quiet for a few seconds. Nodding, she slowly brought the bubbling mixture over and placed it on the bed again. Facing Sinjin, she motioned to the bed and told him, “Lie down.”

  He simply nodded, and I scooted closer to my sister while Sinjin lay down on the bed beside me.

  “Sinjin, I expect you to fulfill your primary role as protector and defender,” Rand said from where he stood beside the window. “I expect you to bring back both Jolie and Bryn.” Then he faced me. “Both of them.”

  Sinjin nodded. “I shall not return empty-handed.”

  Mercedes leaned over Sinjin and me as she lifted the bowl from the tray. She began fanning the smoke over us and said, “Same rules apply as before,” and she eyed Sinjin narrowly. “Just get in and get out! And above all, try to limit your conversation lest someone should overhear you.”

  “Understood and acknowledged,” Sinjin said as he took my hand.

  “Close your eyes. Bryn, you must now return to the vision,” Mercedes instructed me, and I did so. “Remember: time is of the utmost essence.”

  She began to chant, and I imagined the same place in the forest where I entered the vision the first time. My eyes felt heavy and the familiar feeling of my body beginning to float again took hold of me. This time, though, it was barely a second before I was standing in the forest.

  But everything was different.

  This time, the forest was so dark and foreboding, while before, it was bright, airy, and verdant. A thick fog had rolled in, submerging everything in a dense layer of clouds that covered me from my waist down.

  “Remember, my pet, none of what you see here is real.” I heard Sinjin’s voice to my
left and immediately turned to face him. I couldn’t explain why, but I was very relieved to see him standing beside me.

  I just nodded because I didn’t want to speak. Unfortunately for us, we couldn’t communicate telepathically through our thoughts. That limited any conversation, just in case Luce could magically eavesdrop on us. I couldn’t be sure if the vision resulted from my own doing or was deliberately planted by Luce. So all I could do was hope for the best but plan for the worst.

  Sinjin took my hand and pulled me closer to him, smiling with an expression of resignation and encouragement. With a nod, we suddenly dematerialized through the air, and the wind swished across my face. I was surprised Sinjin managed to access that ability despite being in the visionary state, but I decided not to question it.

  “We must remain stoic at all times,” he whispered to me as soon as we touched down in front of Kinloch Kirk.

  I nodded and pulled my hand from his and we hurried through the entry gate and the courtyard. The front doors were wide open and the acrid odor of smoke pervaded our nostrils. Flames had already consumed most of the grounds of Kinloch as well as the house, itself. But they were burning themselves out now, leaving behind the smoldering residue of what was once the epitome of elegance in Scottish homes.

  As soon as we approached the front doors, I noticed a body blocking our path. Then I remembered whose body it was.

  I immediately looked up at Sinjin. I was nervous to see his reaction when he recognized himself lying dead on the ground. But I saw no response from him at all. Instead, he glanced down and didn’t even flinch. He simply sidestepped the heap of what was once his body and hurried up the front steps and into the foyer of Kinloch Kirk with me at his side.

  I was so proud of him. I couldn’t suppress my admiration. He had one purpose and one purpose alone—to retrieve my sister and keep me safe in the process. Even the sight of something so awful as the charred remains of his own body couldn’t faze him. Sinjin was so strong in his character; of that, there was no doubt. And, more importantly, I was beyond grateful that he was there with me.