The Black Fortress

by E. G. Foley

  Especially with her here.

  He walked across the gently swaying decks to where Isabelle stood at the rails, staring down at the water while the breeze played with her long hair. “Hullo, you.”

  She looked over her shoulder with a warm smile as he approached. “There you are.”

  Janos smiled back. He had a feeling that she was the reason he had had such a good day’s sleep again on this trip. He liked being around her. It was soothing and soft and made him feel strangely safe—which was odd, indeed, considering he was the one who was supposed to be the protector here.

  Ah well. Nothing about his reaction to the unicorn girl made any sense to him. All he knew was that her presence comforted him somehow. The burden of his tragedy weighed less heavily on him these days.

  “Surprised they’re not back yet,” Janos remarked as he leaned on the ship’s railing beside her.

  She chuckled. “King Nereus is probably making them watch a turtle ballet.”

  “Oh? That sounds interesting.”

  “It is. For about ten minutes,” she said. “Unfortunately, it normally drags on for two hours.”

  “Aha. So, you don’t regret missing out, eh?”

  “Not at all. But if you still want to go down and see Coral City, there’s more of that potion left.” She gestured toward the potion box. “The merfolk kingdom is an amazing sight.”

  He gave her a mock frown. “Then who would look after you and your governess, Miss Bradford?”

  Izzy smiled. “I don’t think anyone’s going to attack us out here on the boat, Janos.”

  He groaned and dropped his head back. “Oh, you had to say that.”

  She laughed.

  He smiled. “Where is Miss Helena, anyway?”

  “I’m afraid our poor leopard lady had been seasick all day,” Izzy said. “She’s lying down in her cabin. She was looking quite green the last I saw her.”

  “Oh, that is unfortunate.” Janos glanced around at the lamp-lit decks. Everything seemed to be in order. “Anything else going on today that I should know about?”

  “No.” She shook her head. “It’s been wonderfully quiet. The group will probably be back soon, but I, for one, am glad to have had a break.” With that, she sat down, folded her arms on the lower railing, and gazed at the waves in contentment, dangling her feet over the side.

  Janos noticed with amusement that she had taken off her shoes. “What are we doing, then?”

  “Enjoying the sea spray.”

  “Aha. Why? Is it fun?”

  “It will be when I summon some dolphins.” She sent him a twinkling smile. “Do you like dolphins, Janos?”

  “I dunno, never tried one. They’re warm-blooded, aren’t they? Could be tasty.”

  She smacked him on the arm as he swung down to sit beside her. “You are terrible!”

  “Yes, yes, that’s been well established,” he said, laughing.

  “Now be quiet and let me fetch them.”

  He snorted. “Yes, ma’am.”

  Then Izzy closed her eyes, held her hand out over the waves, and sent forth a telepathic message to any dolphins nearby to come and play with her.

  Apparently, Janos wasn’t the only one who couldn’t seem to resist her, for a trio of dolphins promptly arrived. She didn’t even have to bribe them with sardines. They swam right over to the side of the boat, shy at first, but encouraged by her soft words.

  From the moment the creatures surfaced, Janos was utterly amazed.

  They were huge animals, ten feet long and several hundred pounds each, but as friendly and playful as oversized, watery dogs.

  Soon they were clicking and squeaking and waving their flippers at the two of them, much to his delight. The dolphins bobbed upright in the water beside the boat, tossing their heads, whistling and chattering at Isabelle like eager children all talking to her at once.

  After a little while, she somehow got them doing tricks. The silly creatures seemed eager to amuse her and Janos with their antics.

  The dolphins leaped and danced, splashed about and wobbled upright across the water. Janos laughed, then let out a wordless exclamation as one of them corkscrewed through the air. Not to be outdone, another rocketed up from the waves and somersaulted six feet above the surface, landing with a great splash.

  “Bravo!” Isabelle cheered and applauded while Janos wiped salt water out of his eyes.

  “Now I’m awake,” he muttered.

  “I’m so tempted to jump in with them!”

  “No, no, no, don’t do that.”

  “But they’re so adorable!” She continued chuckling and reaching down to pet them, praising the creatures.

  It was good to see her smile again, he thought. In truth, he’d been a little worried about her the past few days. All of the tensions roiling their party seemed to be wearing her down.

  She never complained, so he’d taken it upon himself to keep an eye on her.

  All Janos knew was that he would not have wanted her gift. His own telepathic power was different—colder, more detached.

  It was one thing to be able to read people’s thoughts when he put forth the effort, but it must be a burden always sensing others’ feelings—as if one’s own weren’t difficult enough. He was glad, in any case, that she’d had some time to recover today. This dolphin show had been just the thing to lift both their spirits.

  Though their splashy new friends settled down a bit at that point, they did not leave. Instead, the dolphins lingered around the boat, swimming back and forth below the spot where Izzy and Janos sat side by side.

  They lapsed into companionable silence.

  Janos savored the rare moment of peace. Then she giggled and pointed at one of the dolphins, who rudely bumped his pals aside as he swam.

  “Rudesby! Did you see that?” She glanced at Janos, her eyes shining, so full of innocent joy.

  He gazed at her, wonderstruck. God, when was the last time he had even witnessed real joy, let alone felt it? But somehow she had given that gift to him tonight.

  “We should name him Jake. What?” she asked, a curious smile tugging at her lips as she noticed his starstruck gaze.

  “Nothing.” Janos smiled at her, captivated. But if he did not get away from her this instant, he was going to do something rash. “I, ah, I think I’d better go take a turn around the decks. Make sure everything’s in order.”

  “Wait. I have something for you.” She captured his hand to stop him from leaving.

  “What is it?” he asked, lingering, against his better judgment.

  “Hold on. I’ll be right back.” She climbed to her feet.

  Janos turned from the railing, watching her pad over to where the potion box sat. She moved it aside, lifting a second, larger wooden case that had been stacked underneath it. She brought it back to him and sat down again.

  “What’s this?”

  She flipped the latch and opened it. “A set of magical toys that Aunt Ramona gave me when I was little.”

  “You’re still little.”

  She scowled at him for that, then picked up one of the colorful items inside and handed it to him: a little paper lantern in the shape of a flower.

  A pink lotus, to be exact.

  Janos furrowed his brow as she also took one—a daisy. “What do you do with these?”

  She turned the daisy upside down to show him. “One twist of the stem makes them light up, then you pinch the base, and that makes them float like helium balloons. They’re called Floating Flowers. Look.”

  She demonstrated, twisting the daisy’s stem so that a softly glowing light popped on inside of it, illuminating its white petals and yellow center. Then she squeezed the green base and opened her hand to release it.

  Sure enough, the illuminated daisy slowly righted itself, floating between them in midair.

  She captured it as it started rising, before it floated away.

  “Uh-huh,” Janos said, charmed at the toy but puzzled, as always, with this girl. “A
nd you packed these why?”

  Izzy hesitated. “I don’t mean to overstep my bounds, but I…I thought we could use them in a little ceremony together, just you and me, to commemorate your hatchlings. D-do you think that would be suitable?”

  Janos stared at her, taken aback.

  “As you said,” she added earnestly, “they were only innocent children.”

  Janos felt a lump rise in his throat, but managed to nod. “Yes. They would have liked that.”

  For the next short while, Isabelle lit up the floating flowers in solemn silence and handed them to him.

  Janos pinched the base and reached out over the waves with one cupped lightly in his grasp. Then he loosened his fingers and whispered the name of each child in succession, remembering them as the flower floated up and up toward the moon.

  Tiny glowing roses. Dahlias. Marigolds and pansies. Peonies, buttercups, lilacs, and begonias. Carnations, daffodils…whichever bloom seemed to fit each child.

  His heart was no less broken, but honoring them helped.

  Isabelle and he repeated this ritual over and over again with no sound but the lapping of the waves against the boat, until the case was empty and dozens of floating flowers hung in the dark sky, glowing in soft, ethereal colors to rival the moon. Already, they were drifting away on the wind, traveling off the port stern, out beyond the anchor.

  Janos stared after them with a mist of tears in his eyes, but what could he do but let them go? Having given the urchins at least some semblance of a memorial, he felt some of the burden of his grief float away with the flower lanterns on the soft night breeze.

  At last, he turned to Isabelle. Her gaze poured out compassion on him.

  Janos captured her hand and kissed it reverently, closing his eyes. “Thank you.”

  When he opened them again and looked at her, she nodded once, tears in her eyes. She clasped his hand as he held on to hers. “You loved them, I know.”

  He took a deep breath, nodded, and lowered his gaze.

  “What of their mothers?” she murmured after a moment. “Do you miss them, too?”

  He looked askance at her, finding his way back somehow to his usual wry humor at last. “Immortal bloodsucking witches?” He shuddered half in jest and shook his head. “Clearly, I have dreadful taste in women.”

  “It’s improving,” she teased with a sparkle in her eyes that said, You’re mine. Eventually.

  He begged to differ, at least on the outside, so he pinched her cheek as one would an adorable toddler. “Behave yourself, pipsqueak. I have to go to work.”

  “What, over there?” she asked, glancing toward the rest of the yacht’s long, moonlit deck.

  “Yes. Aaaall the way over there.” A safe distance from you. Janos gave her a smile.

  “If you must.” Her smile said she didn’t want him to go—and that was exactly why he should. “And I am not a pipsqueak, I’ll have you know.”

  “Yes, you are. Don’t fall in,” he advised, climbing to his feet.

  She gave him a salute. “Aye-aye, cap’n.”

  He snorted and walked away, squaring his shoulders after that poignant ordeal and returning his attention firmly to his duties.

  What she’d said earlier was right, of course: it was quiet out here on the water, far from danger. Nevertheless, he began walking the perimeter of the deck, scanning in all directions.

  He could still see the Floating Flowers in the sky, but in the farther distance, across a gulf of watery blackness, clusters of tiny lights marked the town of Taormina. Right alongside the hull, the yacht’s own lanterns spilled blotches of illumination onto the waves like liquid gold.

  Somewhere behind them, Janos supposed, was the beautiful Villa da Palma, a beachside mansion owned by the Order.

  The villa’s elegant terrace was built around a waypoint; their traveling party had arrived there before sailing off on The Wind Dancer.

  Janos wasn’t sure what their next stop would be after this. He mused on it as he continued scanning the horizon, both to starboard and port. Dotting the listless sea here and there, he saw the green or red sidelights of other vessels moored for the night.

  They did not concern him. They were far off, and none showed any signs of coming nearer.

  He walked on. The deck rocked gently beneath his feet, but Janos compensated for its motion with ease. Overhead, a few isolated clouds wandered across the sky, giving the moon a wide berth. He listened to the lulling rhythm of the waves patting the hull and the steady creaking of weathered wood and ropes.

  At his back now, he could hear the dolphins splashing again, jumping and clowning around to amuse Isabelle. The music of her laughter lilted over the deck and made Janos smile in spite of himself.

  When he reached the back of the boat, he let his gaze follow the taut, heavy chain that angled down from the stern and disappeared beneath the waves. On the other end, somewhere below, was the anchor, holding the ship steady.

  For some reason, the thought of the anchor reminded him of Derek, an immovable object in a constantly shifting sea.

  Janos checked his fob watch, then rounded the stern, heading back up the starboard side of the deck, where he exchanged polite nods with a seaman on duty.

  Strolling back toward the bow, he was about midship when he heard a splash a few yards out from the side of the boat. It was just one of the dolphins surfacing, puffing water out of its blowhole. He paused for a minute, turning toward the sea and resting his elbows on the railing.

  The dolphin swam toward him, then passed under the boat and disappeared. Janos gazed into the distance, where the Floating Flowers had begun to wink out of sight.

  He savored the balmy night breeze caressing his cheek, not missing the cold weather up north. It would only be worse when they returned.

  Winter was coming. In more ways than one.

  For a moment, he thought of his ruined castle and the fact that there was no one to go home to anymore.

  But he let the wind take his sorrow with it and surrendered to the first truly peaceful moment he had known in ages. Certainly since the night of the fire.

  Unfortunately, it was short-lived. For it all began to unravel when a shiver of premonition ran through his body.

  Still leaning at the rails, he went very still and listened inwardly.

  What made a person a Guardian was the ability to sense danger in advance, so he could get there before it arrived.

  The sensation of danger approaching grew stronger. Janos straightened up from the railing, turned around, and scanned the ship with sharpening alertness.

  Still, nothing. But something was wrong. He could feel it.

  Without warning, his Guardian instincts suddenly ignited. An overwhelming certainty of danger pulsated through him.

  But where, and to whom?

  His first thought was of Isabelle.

  In a flash, blending vampire prowess with Guardian abilities, he launched himself forward in a vertical leap up onto the lowest yardarm of the foremast, balanced there just long enough to draw his blade, his gaze homing in on her.

  She had risen to her feet and backed away from the rails.

  Was something coming toward the boat?

  Janos vaulted down a few feet away from her on the deck. She wore a look of dread on her face, and as he landed, she let out a small cry of pain and bent forward slightly, clutching her temples.

  That was not what he’d expected.

  “Isabelle! What’s wrong?” In the blink of an eye, he whooshed to her side, closing the distance between them. He clasped her elbow to steady her. “What happened? Answer me!”

  She reached for him, holding on to his arm and the lapel of his jacket. “The most dreadful feeling. Something’s wrong. Something terrible.”

  Her answer amazed him. “You felt it too?”

  She looked likewise startled. “What was that?”

  “I don’t know,” he said. “I thought you were under attack. Did you see something in the water?”
r />   “No.” She shook her head, still looking dazed.

  “Then what did you sense?” he asked.

  “I’m not sure. But it felt horrible. Like something evil drawing near.”

  Janos clenched his jaw, putting his arm around her protectively as he glanced in all directions, his darkling blade in his other hand. If only he had some idea of what the source of the threat might be!

  “Unfortunately, my instincts aren’t what they used to be,” he said in a taut voice.

  “Perhaps if we both try at the same time, we can figure out where it’s coming from,” she said, still looking pale and a little queasy.

  “Very well.” He closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against hers.

  Silent, motionless, they both concentrated on homing in on the source of the danger. With her beside him, clarity pierced through the fog that had long muffled his Guardian instincts. Their combined efforts seem to multiply his abilities.

  Perhaps it did the same to hers, for they opened their eyes at the same time, looked at each other, and spoke simultaneously: “Merlin Hall.”

  “Something’s wrong at the palace,” Janos clipped out.

  Izzy nodded. “I could swear one of my relatives is in danger.”

  “Who? Ramona’s at Merlin Hall.”

  She furrowed her brow, her gaze faraway as her mind turned over the problem. “It didn’t feel like it was coming from Aunt Ramona.”

  Janos tensed. “Jake.”

  He released her, striding over to the rails and peering down into the black water. “We have to get the group back up here, now. Where’s that underwater potion? I’ll take it immediately and swim down to fetch them—”

  “No need! I can send the dolphins. They’ll give Sapphira the message, then Derek can bring everyone back to the boat. Don’t worry, King Nereus has loads of security,” she added, hurrying back to the rails. “The head of his palace guard, Captain Tyndaris, is trustworthy. Once the dolphins communicate the threat, I’m sure he’ll send a contingent to escort our party back.”

  Janos frowned, but Isabelle was already hanging over the edge of the boat, summoning the dolphins near to give them their instructions.

  Having seen the creatures’ silly antics, he was not at all sure about entrusting so vital a message to a bunch of fish.