He nodded as he took the map. “When should we leave?”
“Once Jonathan wakes up. We must go the next day after he wakes. We must not stay here. It won’t be safe here for much longer.” I left him in the kitchen and went to the cellar. I took a bag and started taking jars of herbs and other things like rope that would be invaluable on our journey.
Tomorrow, I would do the same at the shop. I had already put a notice up that the shop would be closing in two days. People were waiting outside my shop and the other shops to purchase what they could to help them survive. This war would be different. This time the city and every town nearby would be emptied since the war would destroy everything. It was in Portugal’s territory, but while we hoped for the best, we wanted to survive too, so we were leaving. This war was strange. It was members of the royal family against their own—like a snake biting its own tail.
Alec and I packed everything in case we had to leave immediately. Days passed as Alec and I took turns looking after Jonathan, but even though he looked better, he hadn’t woken up yet. I was worried. If he didn’t wake up soon, we would have to carry him through the tunnels. He looked peaceful when he slept, like an angel sleeping, although angels did not sleep. I knew a few and I knew for a fact that they don’t have human needs. This was the first time I wished I could see Jonathan’s sarcastic smile return to his lips and his eyes and the look in his eyes as he tried to understand me.
Today was the last day the shop would be open, and Alec stayed with him while I went to take the last orders. I would miss the work and the people, but I hoped that when it was all over I could return to it. If not here, then somewhere else where people needed medicines and herbs to get better. Some people wished me luck, and some told me they would go to London and I could join them if I wanted. Such kindness; it was this that made me want to protect them. I declined and said that I would be on my way soon and wished them all the best.
When I got home, I saw Midnight on the porch. “Why are you here? Did anyone kick you out?” Meow. Was it a good sign that she was here? I went inside, letting her in too, and after I had closed the door, Alec came around the corner.
He was somewhat excited. “He’s up.”
That would explain his excitement. “Is that why you kicked Midnight out?”
He shook his head. “One moment she was here, and then she disappeared from the house. I thought she left to find you.”
“She was on the porch.” I petted her. My cat had wanted to let me know that something was going on, and that was her way to do it. “Good girl.” I kissed her head. Meow. Apparently, she wasn’t satisfied by that and licked my hand, so I petted her a little more.
I steeled myself and went into Jonathan’s room—which was my room and Ritta’s occasionally—after Alec.
He gave me a weak smile. “We have to stop meeting like this.”
I stared at him pointedly. “We never meet like this.”
He breathed heavily, but it was good to hear him speak again. “Thank you.”
How were we going to make it if he was so weak? Alec and I sat on each side of him. “How are you feeling?” I asked.
He grimaced. “Like I had my insides fried and then put in a lake.”
I almost laughed. “Thank you for the vivid description,” I said and at the same time, Alec said, “Ugh.”
“So, Alec told me I saved my own life with the flower I gave you.”
How can he brag at a time like this? He has barely the strength to talk and yet the first thing he does is brag. He is impossible, just like always. “It wasn’t the flower. It was its leaves.”
He shrugged. “Same thing. How and why did you keep it?”
“Flowers have power. If someone gives you flowers, you keep them because they might save your life. My mother always told me that.”
“So you have kept it.” He smiled. “Did you keep the other one too?”
Why is he so annoying? “The moon flower? Of course. It’s rare.
He raised his eyebrows.
Hopefully, he didn’t know its meaning. He cleared his throat. “So, what’s going on? I got the part where you, Alec, saved us and we are at war, but what else?”
I looked at Alec. You didn’t tell him? I asked silently even though I knew he wouldn’t hear me. I had the impression he believed Jonathan had been too weak to tell him more. I shot Alec a pointed look.
“Jonathan, we will be leaving tomorrow or the day after tomorrow for sure, and Eva will be coming with us.”
“Eva, you can’t come with us.”
Here we go again. “Alec, please explain to the stupid one here that I am coming. I am not having an argument with a sick person.” Alec explained so Jonathan had no choice but to agree with the plan since he was weak. I caught him staring at me. “What?”
Jonathan shook his head. “Nothing. I was just wondering something,” he said and turned to stare at Alec.
“The queen said something about you and it was weird, that’s all,” Alec said.
Uh-oh. “What did she say?”
Alec tilted his head and gave me an odd look. “She said that no matter how weird or unexplainable the decisions you may make were, that we must trust you no matter what. Because what you do is for the good of all.”
I was in awe. The queen had told them this? Why? She didn’t even know me. But she did know my mother; they had been friends, even if she was a queen. Maybe when she saw me that time, she saw her in me. What she had done with her words was give me the ability to make decisions Alec and Jonathan might not understand without needing to explain anything. She trusted me enough to give me this gift, and I renewed my promise that I would protect them.
“So what did my mother mean?” Jonathan wanted to know—no, he needed to know. He had lost both of his parents, and he needed to know that his mother died a hero.
“Some people are prejudiced against some things I use, so I keep some things to myself in order to save lives.” I keep to myself that I am a witch in order to save you. You don’t understand that, and I don’t think you ever will. This journey will be difficult, and with limited use of magic powers, I hope we will survive. I can create rain or fire without being seen, but I can’t do a spell without saying the words; that is, if my powers work at will which is rare.
“Like what?” Jonathan asked, always eager to know. “Belladonna...”
Alec’s eyes widened. “You use belladonna? It’s a poison.”
Faith was a fragile thing, but stronger than anything I had ever seen. “It is a poison, but mixed with other herbs, it creates the perfect antidote for some rare poisons.”
They looked at me thoughtfully. “Really?” Alec asked.
I nodded. “Do you think I would kill people while I try so much to save them?”
“I can’t imagine it.” He laughed. “No.”
“Are my brothers all right?” Jonathan looked at us. I wished I had an answer. I got up from my chair and looked at Alec.
Alec sighed. “I don’t have any news after we sent them with the servant.”
Jonathan nodded but looked at me. “Can you find out? I know you have done already so much, but please...”
He was desperate and I couldn’t leave him like this. “I can make some inquiries.”
“Thank you,” he said.
I left him lying in the bed to rest and left the room.
Midnight came to me and I whispered to her, “You have it, right?” Meow. Midnight understood what she had to do. She was to track Jonathan’s brothers and sister with his scent and report back to me. I didn’t speak cat, but since she was my familiar, we had a special connection that allowed me to see through her eyes. As long as I had her special tag, I would see everything she saw. I opened the door and Midnight darted into the shadows. Hopefully, by tomorrow, she will be back.
Midnight wasn’t back the next morning. Maybe she hadn’t found them yet. I wanted to give her time, but time was a luxury at this moment. Alec and I added to the items we
had already packed for the journey; it wasn’t like we would have a market nearby in the underground.
As the day passed, I kept checking outside for any signs of Midnight. I was worried. Where could these children be? The city and the nearby towns were emptying, and the army of the Portuguese kingdom was summoning each ally that would help them. I didn’t know who had the advantage, but someone would lose.
Two days later Midnight scratched at my door. When I opened it, she sat there dirty and bleeding. “For the cat’s love. What happened to you?” I cleaned her wounds, bandaged her, and then brushed her. “Tell me what happened,” I whispered. I took her in my arms, and then I was seeing through Midnight’s eyes: I saw the army that was coming toward here, and then something disrupted my vision. A man threw rocks at me. If I had been there I would have burned him.
The vision then continued to an unfamiliar territory. Where am I? I heard some people talking German with an accent... Austria perhaps? We were in the city, but then I saw green—too much green—and animals. The countryside? On a farm, perhaps? Then Jonathan’s two brothers and sister came into view. I had seen them only one time, but they looked like Jonathan. They were playing, and a man—most likely the servant—stood not far from them.
My vision blurred and I was back home. The children were all right. I took Midnight, went into my room, and deposited her in Jonathan’s lap. He gave me a questioning look. “What should I do with the cat?”
“The cat has a name, you know.” I scowled. “And you are going to take care of her since I am a little busy right now.”
“You cannot be serious. I am busy too, you know...”
“Doing what exactly?” I arched an eyebrow.
“What happened? Why does the cat have bandages?”
“Someone stupid threw rocks at her.”
He looked at me curiously. “And you didn’t stop him? You didn’t chase him away with your broom?”
Ha, ha. Very funny. “I wasn’t close enough.” I gritted my teeth and almost didn’t tell him what I had found. Almost. But I wasn’t cruel. “Your brothers and sister are safe with the servant.”
He looked startled. “Where? That was fast.”
I smiled. “My cat is fast and smart.”
“Wait, you sent the cat to find out? What? You talk cat now?”
Almost. “I sent a letter to the servant to find out where they were, and my cat delivered it.”
Almost true. “They are in Austria, safe on a farm.” He looked relieved. “It’s far, but they’ll be safe.” For now, if the war stops.
“So, somebody injured your cat on her journey?”
“How else would she have gotten those wounds?”
He shrugged. “And how did she come back?”
“She always comes back.”
He raised his eyebrows. “How come?”
Why are you so interested and asking so many questions? “Because she is a smart cat and knows the way.”
“And I suppose you wouldn’t have taken a stupid cat?”
Midnight hissed. Good girl. “That’s the answer. And cats are not stupid.”
“But how did she go so fast? And how did she know they were in Austria?”
I sighed and reminded him of his mother’s words. “You have to trust me, remember? Even for weird things with no explanation.”
He was unsatisfied with my answer. “Would you sell her?” Midnight pawed at his fingers.
“Oh.” I smiled. “No, and you couldn’t have bought her either. She was actually a gift, but in the market, they sell cats for 167,000 pesos.”
“I am a king, I think I can afford her.”
Sheesh. Does he have to comment on everything? “Now I have to go packing. You take care of my cat and do not offend her.”
The Flight
The next day we had finished packing. We couldn’t take too much, and we had questioned the need for every item we packed. I sat in Jonathan’s room while Alec paced back and forth.
“Stop pacing. Find something to do,” Jonathan said.
I was petting Midnight and trying not to pay attention to Jonathan. He looked better and had attempted to walk today. He made it five steps and then had to get back in bed.
“Then find me something to do,” Alec was said.
“What can I say? I am all day in bed.”
“Shh. I hear something,” I said.
“What?” Alec said.
“It’s not my fault that—” Jonathan said.
“I hear something. Be quiet.”
I went to the window and Alec came too.
“God help us,” he said.
“Neither God nor Heaven can rescue us from this,” I said.
They had arrived. An army of red could be seen from far away. It wouldn’t be long before they would reach us. Alec went for the bags and I knelt near the bed. “Take the cat and climb on my back.”
“But you are—”
We had no time for Jonathan’s protests. “Be quiet and for once in your life do what I say! If we don’t run now, we will be killed.” He stopped talking and did what I said. We met Alec in the corridor. “What the—”
“Not now. Go to the back of the cellar, on the left side.” We ran down the stairs, and when we reached the back left corner, I said, “Press the moon.” On the wall, there was a painting of a moon and the sun, and if you pressed the moon, a door was revealed that led to the tunnels.
“Amazing,” they both said in unison. “When all this is over, we should make you decorate the palace,” Alec said.
“And make secret passages too,” Jonathan added.
“I don’t think you will need secret passages in a palace.”
The tunnel door opened, and we ran. You might wonder why I wasn’t falling behind since I had Jonathan on my back. I could run kilometers without rest, and even with something on my back, I could easily keep pace with humans. Some torches illuminated the beginning of the corridor, and Alec took one of them. When Alec’s torch burned out, the tunnel was plunged into darkness.
“Alec, get behind me and take Jonathan’s hand. And, Jonathan, don’t let go of my cat.”
“What will you do if I do?”
“I will let you fall.” That must have been a terrifying threat because he held me tighter.
It was weird though; he might be weak but was strong too. I felt his strong muscles and he had a nice smell: honey and mint. It was like I was in the woods again, but why did I notice it? Should I? Probably not. Because if we won this war, he would become king again, and I couldn’t be with him anyway. I could be a princess, and be with him, but I knew I would never be happy that way. Always in a cage, everyone watching my every move, and wars, wars, and more wars. I would miss the simplicity of my life and drawing and my shop. He liked me. Maybe he more than liked me—at least that was what I thought the kiss meant—but how could I return feelings that I knew were going to be thrown away?
I placed my hand on the wall and followed the lines. After some time, I noticed the patterns of the lines had changed, which meant we were entering a different country. I paused to check if the country name was carved above the line. With my hand, I felt out the letters: F-R-A-N-C-E. We were in France? Like I said before, tunnels were much faster than regular roads. I started walking again since I wanted to get them as far away as possible.
Not too much later, Alec asked, “Do you want to stop? I think we can make a stop now. It is certain that we are no longer being chased, and Eva, you have been carrying Jonathan for a long time now. You should rest a little.”
I shook my head, but then I remembered he couldn’t see me. “I am fine, but if you two are hungry, we can stop for a while.” They agreed, so I lowered myself so Jonathan could get down. I took out a pillow for him and Alec to sit on, and I lit a candle so we could see. I sat on the ground across from them pillowless.
They looked at me, and Jonathan asked, “No pillow?”
I smiled. “I am not a king or a prince. I don’t need a pillo
w to sit down, and I like sitting on the ground, especially on the grass.” I opened my bag, and took out some dry food, and put it on plates. We had some water to drink with our meal. I listened to them making jokes about stupid things, and I thought they could be brothers just like Ritta and I were sisters. I missed Ritta and my mother. I wished I knew where they were and what they were doing.
Lost in my thoughts, I didn’t hear what Jonathan asked me. “Excuse me, what did you ask?”
He smiled, and in the dark with only candlelight, it was like seeing an angel with black hair and golden wings. “I asked why you don’t say anything?”
I concentrated. “Because when we eat, we don’t talk.”
“Why?”
I stared at him. Do the rich eat and talk at the same time? “Because if you talk and eat, you might choke.”
“I didn’t know that.”
Really? So he had never choked? “I don’t think you get invited to many families’ houses.”
“I get invited in a lot.”
Alec pushed him in a friendly manner. “I think she means in towns and villages where normal people live.”
Jonathan looked confused. “We are normal people.”
Alec looked at me with a conspiratorial smile. “Eva doesn’t think we are normal.” He laughed. And now I saw two angels.
“Well, we are now since we are runaways,” said Jonathan and that ruined the easygoing mood.
“So, we are in France. I thought you should know.”
They looked startled. “France?” they said in unison.
I put a finger to my lips. “Shh. You will wake the spirits.” They laughed a little, but I wasn’t joking.
“What do you mean we are in France? And there are no spirits here,” Jonathan said.
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