The Brotherhood of the Snake (Return of the Ancients Book 2)

by Carmen Caine

  Jareth’s voice took on a note of challenge as he asked, “Even if the truth lies in the Inner Circle?”

  Rafael didn’t respond. He stood there, silent. Stoic.

  It was Jareth’s turn to be surprised. “Then you believe it exists, after all!”

  They stared at each other in open suspicion.

  “I’m the only one who can stop the Queens now,” Jareth said finally. “You have no choice but to trust me. I’ll protect you as we search for the Tulpa and the truth.”

  Again there was a stilted silence before Rafael replied with a dangerous glint in his eyes, “Protecting me and yet wishing all the while that I’ll make a fatal mistake, no doubt.”

  “Absolutely,” Jareth growled through his teeth. “And I’m already dreaming of all the possibilities that would result in your downfall.”

  Rafael was silent a moment before nodding tersely. “Then I accept.”

  He held out his palm, revealing Harmony’s rune.

  Already, it was beginning to smoke.

  I gasped. “This is some kind of weird trick! Rafael's been here the whole time! This entire thing is obviously a fake!”

  They both looked at me in surprise, as if I’d said something outrageous.

  “This is no trick, Sydney,” Rafael explained gently. “He spoke to my mirror in Avalon. My mirror reflects my soul. I’ve trained it from birth. It can answer for me as if I’d been there myself.”

  I simply stared at him.

  “I’ll explain Mirror Technology later,” he promised. “But first—”

  The sound of Jareth’s voice from the mirror interrupted us once again.

  “And what of Sydney? Can you deny you’re falling in love with a human, Rafael?”

  My mouth dropped open.

  Dismay and shock crossed Rafael’s face. Whirling, he scanned the mirror’s surface as I found my attention riveted upon it once more.

  A muscle in Rafael’s cheek twitched.

  “I’m not a fool.” Jareth made a disgusted sound. “You broke the Glass Wall for her, so she could return to Earth. You saved her from the Tulpa.”

  “As I would have for any human,” Rafael responded softly. “Simply because Melody feared such a fate doesn’t guarantee it will be. There are many choices before me. You’ve said so yourself.” He paused before adding emphatically, “I most certainly do not love her. I’ll never love her. She is human.”

  “Spoken as a true-blooded Prince of Avalon.” Jareth laughed derisively. “But we’ve seen how royalty bend the rules when it suits them.”

  “Sydney doesn’t interest me.” Rafael shrugged. “How could she?” He clenched his jaw and swallowed. Hard.

  Jareth eyed him. “Your touchy response compels me to remind you that you’re still Blue-Threaded.”

  “As are you, Jareth,” Rafael responded sharply.

  “Ah, but my fate doesn’t involve humans in that manner. Remember—”

  “Enough!” the real Rafael ordered evenly. His tone was cool, but his jaw was tight. He pointed at the mirror.

  The images vanished immediately.

  My feelings were difficult to describe, mostly because I didn’t understand them. I found it hard to breathe as Jareth leaned against the wall and crossed his arms, letting out a long, self-gratifying, and obnoxious sigh.

  Suddenly, the room filled with mist, heralding the arrival of more Fae.

  I began to panic, but a quick glance at Rafael calmed my nerves.

  He appeared cool and reserved. Noting my anxiety, he only had time to flash me a warm smile before the cloud solidified in the center of the room.

  The mist dissipated quickly to reveal Melody.

  She looked far different from when I’d last seen her, mute and half-shriveled in her wheelchair. This Melody was tall, delicate, and slender. Her hair was platinum blonde, cascading in spiral curls down her back, and her eyes were a penetrating, unforgettable blue. And even though her appearance was fresh and youthful, something about her gave the impression of great age.

  Tilting her head, she held her hands out in welcome and spoke in a silvery tone. “Jareth. Rafael. Greetings to you both.”

  Rafael stepped forward to bow over her hand and murmur, “Many moons have graced the sky since I’ve last heard your voice, my mentor.”

  Melody raised a brow, taking in Rafael’s torn black bodysuit and disheveled appearance, but she didn’t say a word as Jareth approached to silently kiss her hand. Closing her eyes a moment, she briefly touched them both on the forehead before facing me. “I owe my life to this wonderful young child,” she said warmly. “Sydney, I’m in your debt.”

  She held out both hands expectantly, and not knowing what to do, I stepped forward and dipped in an awkward kind of curtsey.

  Reaching down, she grasped my hands and lifted me up.

  At her touch, a shiver rippled down my spine.

  It was an unpleasant, chilling shudder, and I suddenly felt that I stood in the presence of great evil.

  I took an involuntary step back.

  She was watching me closely, and something flashed over face that was even more unsettling than her touch.

  I forced my lips to form a fake smile even as my mind began to race. Melody was Rafael’s teacher. By default, that made her one of the good guys. So what was I feeling? Was she hiding something? Was it my imagination?

  Perhaps I’d been rattled by recent events more than I’d realized.

  To my great relief, she glanced away as Rafael asked, “What happened, Melody? To what do we owe your astounding recovery?”

  Pausing noticeably, she replied sotto voce, “The breaking of the Glass Wall saved me from … the Mesmers.”

  Rafael’s brows leapt in surprise as all trace of emotion fled from Jareth’s face.

  “Mesmers?” I prompted. Gauging by their reactions, I wasn’t entirely certain I wanted to know.

  “The lizard people,” Jareth answered with a careless shrug.

  I caught my breath. “I thought the lizard people were stuck in the second dimension?”

  “They are,” Rafael supplied the explanation. “But there is a faction of the lizard people called the Mesmers, those with the arcane ability to reach through the dimensions to find compatible hosts and use them as a conduit for their unholy powers. While the Mesmers physically remain in the second dimension, they can control their hosts like puppets to do their bidding, and if a host is harmed, they merely wait to find another to replace it. Fortunately, only a few of the lizard people possess the Mesmer capabilities, but unfortunately, even those few are too many.”

  Unholy powers didn’t sound good. Lizard puppet masters sounded worse.

  He saw my unspoken question. “They can mesmerize both humans and Fae alike with merely a glance or the sound of their voice.”

  Jareth looped a thumb in his studded leather belt and returned to slouch against the wall. “With dire consequences for those mesmerized,” he added in a dispassionate tone.

  I’d been better off not knowing. Still, I couldn’t stop myself from pressing further. “Mesmerize?”

  “To put one in a catatonic state,” Rafael explained quietly. “From your perspective, you would most likely only note the missing time, if you were to ever wake—”

  “And I almost did not,” Melody interrupted ominously. “But now they not only devour human emotion, they have adapted and have developed a taste for the light of the Fae. They succeeded in draining my light … leaving me a mere dry husk of a shell.”

  Though I didn’t understand all of what she’d said, I knew it explained why she’d appeared old and shriveled. Perhaps I only thought she was evil because of what the lizard people had done. I wondered if they could prematurely age humans as well. Her next words jolted me from my distractions.

  “The Mesmers are walking on Earth, Rafael,” she announced. “They’re already here. Now. They caught me and almost succeeded in draining my life.”

  Her words hung in the air.

&
nbsp; “Walking on Earth,” Rafael repeated softly.

  The tiny hairs on my arms stood on end.

  I didn’t want to hear anymore.

  Things were spiraling out of control. The military should be handling this sort of thing, not some random seventeen-year-old. It was time for me to bow out and leave the universe-saving to other people. But I knew no one would believe a word of anything that I’d experienced the past week. They’d most likely lock me up for a mental evaluation.

  Melody began waving her hands in the air, outlining a shape the size of a large cat. “Several of the Mesmer elite have succeeded in possessing an earthly form for short periods of time. It looks much like a gargoyle. They’re no longer locked in the second dimension, Rafael. Somehow, they’ve found compatible host forms here … on Earth.”

  “They clearly had help then.” Jareth began drumming his fingers against the wall. His mood had darkened considerably. “Someone on Earth must’ve created bodies they could inhabit. There’s no other way.”

  Melody tilted her head his direction, a slight crease wrinkling her perfect face. “But who would aid the Mesmers with such an insidious plot?”

  Jareth shrugged his shoulders indifferently. “Yet another question Rafael must answer.”

  “Another?” she repeated, seizing the word.

  Rafael’s jaw tightened. He eyed Jareth coldly before facing his mentor to calmly reply, “When we inspected the Glass Wall, both Jareth and I sensed the echoes of the lizard people in the glass. That's why we broke it, my mentor.”

  I stared at them in astonishment, knowing it was a lie. Nothing of the sort had happened.

  Jareth lifted his dark-haired head. There was a strange light in his eyes.

  “Is this true, Jareth?” Melody turned to him suddenly. “What did you sense?”

  I held my breath.

  He straightened slowly, waiting an extraordinarily long time before answering, “Rafael is correct, Melody. But he neglects to mention that the Glass Wall was fractured before we even arrived. It was breaking on its own. Perhaps the lizard people have gained additional abilities you’ve not yet uncovered.”

  A look of alarm crossed her face.

  I gaped at Jareth, shocked.

  He was lying, too. Why were they both lying to their own mentor? And why weren’t they accusing each other? Apparently, Melody didn’t suspect them. She opened her mouth to speak when the golden bracelet on Rafael’s wrist suddenly glowed.

  Lifting his hand, he glanced at the mirror, and a spark of light jumped from his bracelet to splash across the surface.

  The shape of his mother, Zelphie, shimmered into view, beautiful, slim, and graceful with perfectly coiffed hair and well-manicured nails. She was in Rafael’s quarters in Avalon, standing in front of his round, red couch.

  Confusion shadowed her eyes as she said, “Their Majesties have demanded my return to the City of the Queens at once. They claim that you’re embroiled in a plot of the worst kind, Rafael. They demand that both Marquis and I return as hostages immediately!”

  Rafael’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.

  “They fear you’re plotting for the throne,” Melody murmured, focusing her gaze over Rafael’s head, apparently reading his fate lines as only the Fate Trackers could. “I’ve warned you of this, my prince. The blood of the Royals runs strongly in your veins, and virtually all branches of this dangerous path you tread now lead into the darkness that I foresaw…”

  She was still speaking, but my attention had fixated solely on one word.

  Prince?

  I’d heard Jareth call him that, but I’d thought he was being sarcastic.

  Rafael was a fairy prince? A prince of the Fae?

  And what was all that loving and not loving Sydney stuff about?

  My head began to ache, and I suddenly wished they would all disappear so I could think, but then Zelphie’s cultured tones brought me back to the present.

  “—I’ve always given the Queens my loyalty and support,” she was saying. “It’s been over five ages since my line lost the throne. I’ll never plunge Avalon into chaos for personal gain, and neither will my son. We are content to remain as we are.” She spoke with an air of finality, but a faint sadness lingered in her eyes.

  Rafael stirred. “But there will always be those who plot to use us, Mother, even against our will.” An expression of distaste played across his face. “For now, it’s wiser for you to remain in Avalon and to go to the Queens.”

  “Return to Avalon with me, Rafael,” Melody suggested, laying a hand on his arm. “I’ll explain to the Queens what you and Jareth have discovered. All will be forgiven—”

  Zelphie nodded in agreement, but Rafael lifted a long finger for silence. Shaking his head, he firmly stated, “No. I’ll remain here.”

  Apparently, Melody wasn’t thrilled with that response. Her blue eyes darted my direction, and again I felt the cold chill ripple down my spine.

  “And why is this?” she pressed, her lips thinning with displeasure.

  With a glint of challenge in his eye, Jareth chimed in, “Yes, pray tell why that’s so.”

  Rafael’s jaw locked, and he sent Jareth a scathing look. “That fracture you found in the Glass Wall, Jareth. Weren’t you going to retrieve a record of that for Melody?”

  “Ah, yes.” Jareth nodded as a corresponding venomous look flashed across his face. “But first, the Queens are expecting the imprint of those lizard voices from your trion, are they not?”

  They glared at each other.

  “I see,” Melody said as her unnerving gaze once again settled briefly on me.

  There was no mistaking the malice this time.

  I swallowed.

  A moment later, I felt Rafael’s hand resting lightly on my arm. His touch was warm, comforting, and I wondered if he shared the same sense of uneasiness about Melody.

  Then, in the mirror, Marquis appeared to stand by Zelphie’s side.

  I still couldn’t believe he was Rafael’s father. He was short, his hair a light brown, and his wispy mustache barely covered his upper lip. After subjecting me to a cursory glance, his expression turned cold and uninviting.

  It wasn't until Rafael's arm slid about my shoulders that I realized I'd unconsciously moved closer to him. And in spite of Marquis and Melody's disapproving looks, I stayed there.

  “Harmony is with the Queens,” Rafael's father informed everyone. “She’ll stay there for now.”

  I felt Rafael’s arm tense.

  Zelphie apparently noticed. “She is safe, my son,” she assured softly. “It’s wiser for her to remain in Avalon for a time. You know this well!”

  They exchanged a long look filled with hidden meaning, and as Rafael began murmuring to his mother, I grew increasingly aware of his closeness. Beginning to feel awkward, I waited until his attention focused on the forms in the mirror and took advantage of the opportunity to duck from under his arm and escape.

  Turning, I found myself face-to-face with Jareth, his dark eyes appearing almost angry.

  His reaction irritated me, mostly because I didn’t know why he would be mad at me. But then he always seemed cranky.

  We didn’t speak. We just stood there, glaring at one another.

  “Then I’ll return at once.” Melody’s voice rose. “There’s much I must say to the Queens.”

  I turned back to the mirror to see Zelphie raise three fingers to her cheek. “We shall speak again soon, my son,” she promised.

  As the images in the mirror faded, Melody bowed to Rafael, and without once looking at me, disappeared in a cloud of mist, leaving droplets of water sliding down the living room window.

  There was a short, stilted silence that Jareth broke with an acidic chuckle.

  “And now you’re deliberately misleading Melody, Rafael,” he said with a smirk. “You’re lying to our mentor.”

  “I might observe the same of you.” Rafael smiled, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes.

  “Oh, this g
ame you’re playing intrigues my dark side.” Jareth eyed him up and down. “And now with Sydney in the mix, I wouldn’t miss the opportunity to witness such a fine self-destruction for all the riches of Avalon.”

  With a flash of fire, Rafael retorted, “And I shall relish revealing to the Queens how you withheld tidings of the Tulpa. How you’ve deliberately misled them. And the part you played in breaking the Glass Wall.”

  Jareth angrily slammed his palm flat against the wall.

  I sighed and closed my eyes. “Please just go away,” I mumbled, knowing it wasn’t even a possibility. Still, it felt good to say, so I said it again. “Go very, very, very far away, Jareth.”

  He shot me a hostile glance and began drumming his fingers on the wall again.

  Steeling myself for whatever was ahead, I turned to ask Rafael, “So what do we do next? Are we still running?”

  “No,” he said, shaking his head. He drew his hand over his face, leaving a dark trail of eye makeup down the side of his cheek.

  He looked exhausted.

  For one moment, I wanted to reach up and touch his cheek. The next moment, I was startled that I’d thought such a thing.

  “We must find the Tulpa, Sydney,” he was saying. “My mother has bought us a few days now. We must find the Tulpa and deliver it to the Queens as proof that the Glass Wall was a fraud. If it had really been protecting humanity, the Tulpa could never have come to this dimension. It’s the only way either of us will be safe, safe from the Queens’ wrath over the destruction of the Glass Wall, and safe from the Tulpa itself.”