by Laura Tree
Chapter 11
Most of the ride is silent, which leaves me with a lot of time to think.
Still curious, who do I need protection from? Who is the Dark Queen? How am I supposed to find the Pendant? What does the Pendant do anyway? Why am I so connected to Damien? My mind is spinning in a whirlwind. I’m unsure what to think. I’ve too many unanswered questions right now to consider this.
Yet, I keep getting this nagging feeling that Damien’s telling me the truth. It may not be the whole truth, but it’s the truth that he knows. Every time I look at Damien, I feel comforted.
I know he said we have a connection because he is my Protector, but I wonder where this relationship would lead. Are we supposed to be together? Could we be together? Have Protectors and Suppliants in the past been together romantically? How does this fit in with my plans to go to college?
There is something about Damien that gets to me. I glance up at him, and wonder why he has a five o’clock shadow, if we aren’t supposed to age in this realm.
I had figured that meant your hair wouldn’t grow either, but I guess it does. Maybe he already had the five o’clock shadow before and I never noticed it; that must be it.
I hear the birds chirping in the background, and it reminds me of the Morphon. I wonder what other creatures are out there that I’m unaware of.
I’m having trouble wrapping my mind around the difference in time. It’s hard for me to believe that I could be gone for years and only lose minutes on earth. What am I supposed to tell my parents and friends?
I feel Silver tense up under me. I’m immediately on high alert. Warning bells are going off in my head; there must be a reason she’s tense. I whisper for Damien, but he’s too far away to hear me.
Out of the corner of my eye, I catch a shadow. I glance that way, but there’s nothing in sight. I can’t shake the feeling that something is wrong. I decide to trust my instincts and stay on high alert.
A prickling sensation runs up my spine and down through my shoulders, and out my fingertips. My chest tightens, and my breathing becomes labored. Panic sets in.
Why is my body reacting this way? It was just a shadow; I shouldn’t be this scared.
“Damien!” I shout. His head begins to turn when I see it again. The same shadow, the same robin. This time, it flies so close, I can see every feather.
It grows in size, from mere inches, to a two--foot wingspan. His bright orange beak is more jagged than it should have been. His claws become sharp, pointy talons that can rip a person to shreds. This transformation happens in a few seconds, completing only when he flies past.
Instinctively I know it will be back. I also know that the next time it will cause damage. My heart speeds up again, adrenaline pumping through my system. I know that either I trust my instincts or I will get hurt.
“Go, as fast as you can! Silver can take you there,” Damien shouts as he circles back, catching a glimpse of the creature.
I dig my heels into Silver’s side as she darts to the north. After about twenty feet I decide to take a peek at Damien and see how he’s faring.
As I turn, I catch a glimpse of him wielding two short knives, one in each hand. The handles are an emerald green, with big opal stones. They have a black intricate design that goes from the blade all the way down the handle.
He looks like a warrior, a Protector—my Protector. For the moment I accept what he has told me as the truth, but that doesn’t matter if Damien doesn’t survive.
Silver stops as I watch Damien slicing into thin air, half a second late every time. The robin swoops back down, gnashing his talons, and catching Damien’s shoulder. I can see the pained look on his face.
Anger wells up inside me; I feel protective. I don’t want anything to happen to Damien; it would be my fault. What would I do? He’s the only person here that I trust, the only person here that I know. If something happens to him, how will I find my way back home? I would be stuck in this strange world for who knows how long.
I focus on the anger, letting it build. Although I’m not sure what to do, I stare at the bird. Suddenly I feel heat burning from my chest. It’s spreading out, down my arms and through my fingertips.
I push my hands toward the robin with open palms, as if telling him to stop. I feel a pulse leaving me and head toward the robin. I can see a ripple in the air.
It hits Damien, leaving him unfazed—like he didn’t even notice. A few seconds later, it hits the robin. Its limbs start contorting, twisting, and turning in all directions. It lets out a hideous squawk, begging for its life.
Then it falls, crumpled to the ground. It lays unmoving as Damien stares. He turns his head and gives me questioning gaze.
“What did you do?” he shouts. I am still at least thirty feet away from him.
“I don’t know. It just happened. One minute I was angry, the next minute I couldn’t stop it. What was that?” Feeling scared of myself and not wanting to talk about it, I turn and dig my heel into Silver. She takes off, full speed ahead. I can’t help but think what a good companion Silver is to have at the moment. Oddly enough, Silver neighs in response.
…
It doesn’t take long to get to the castle; Damien knocks stiffly on the door. I take the opportunity to look around. It’s a castle like you might see in Ireland on Earth. It has towers on each corner. The wooden door is laced with a delicate design; it looks like tribal symbols. Each symbol is colored grey, and they interlace.
“Can I help you?” questions a burly voice. A set of dull blue eyes with thick, bushy eyebrows peers at us.
“My name is Damien; I’m here to see the Queen,” he says.
“What took you so long? The Queen has been waiting; she doesn’t like to wait.” His intimidation techniques don’t quite work on me. For some reason, I don’t care whether the Queen likes to wait. I’m here to find out what’s really going on, and then I’m out of here.
The wooden door slowly rises up; Bronco and Damien enter, leaving me and Silver to follow. The first thing I notice is a stable boy waiting to take our horses. We hop down to hand over the reins. With a quick pat on Silver’s mane, I turn to follow Damien. I can’t help but become attached to her.
It feels like I’m walking into a dream. The castle is exactly how it was in my vision. It has the same banners hanging on the walls and the same colossal chair in the center of the room. The staff members are sitting where I pictured them.
The woman, wearing the same purple dress that was in my vision, with the beautiful long, wavy brunette is there to meet us. I notice the gold snake bracelet around her left bicep and the golden tiara that I saw in my vision. In her right hand is a tall staff with a blue stone.
I realize I’m staring as we get closer. I totally zone out; my attention is brought back when Damien elbows me in the ribs. She must have been talking to me.
“Queen Merona, this is Layla Sanders.” I glance over at Damien when he speaks. Damien takes a bow, so I figure I might as well curtsy. After all, she is a queen.
“Layla, it’s a pleasure to meet face to face. Glad to see you haven’t been peeking anymore.” My face instantly heats up; I’m sure if I could look in the mirror it would be bright red.
“Peeking? I . . . wasn’t peeking,” I mumble. She must be talking about the vision. Doesn’t she know that I can’t control my visions?
“It doesn’t matter now; come join us for cup of tea. We’ve been expecting you,” the Queen says.
“I need some answers. I’m not sure what I’m doing here,” I respond, following her.
“Please sit. I’ll explain everything,” she says. I follow Damien to an elegant table with a white damask table runner. It’s solid oak and stained with a beautiful cherry color.
There’s a big gray vase centerpiece filled with fragrant white flowers. I catch a whiff of the scent and feel calmer. I take a seat and ponder my questions while waiting patiently. Queen Merona pours each of us a cup of tea.
> After sliding my cup toward me with a tray of cream and sugar, she speaks. “What questions do you have, my dear?”
“Damien said we’re in a different realm. Where are we?” I ask the first of many questions.
“Aw, that’s easy dear. We are in Zeather. It is a realm different from Earth.” She smiles, pleased with herself.
“What exactly is a Realm? Are you talking about magic?” I question, feeling like I’ve landed smack dab in the middle of a Disney film.
“Why, of course, dear, there’s magic all around us. A realm is a place like Earth, where creatures live. Zeather is the Magical Realm. Abais is the Vampire and Wolf Realm. Jorid is the Demon Realm, and Geroda, also known as the Curtain, is the Spirit Realm. Since you are a creature of magic, you can visit any realm through the portals. But be advised, no one has ever returned from the behind the Curtain.”
I stare at her as if she has grown five heads. What in the heck is she talking about? There are vampires and werewolves? What is this about demons?
“Creatures?” I squeak. Is all of the folklore on Earth true? Are there really all of these scary creatures?
A soothing smile crosses her face. “My, you do have a lot to learn. There are other creatures of magic, possibly every one you’ve heard of in mortal fiction, and more. There are creatures such as Witches, Warlocks, Vampires, Lycans, Griffins, Sirens, and Shapeshifters, known as Morphons here. Unfortunately all of the Mermaids were hunted to extinction,” the Queen says. There’s something extremely soothing about her voice that makes me want to just accept everything that she’s saying.
“There are also other creatures, similar to Witches and Warlocks, that hold special purposes. Of course, there are Suppliants, such as you. And Protectors for those Suppliants. There are Bartrons and Manipulators, that I’m sure you’re unaware of too. You will learn these things with time, my dear.” She looks at my face, and I’m certain that she sees confusion. How long will it take to find this Pendant so I can find my real parents and go home?
“Don’t worry your pretty little self about that, my dear. You’re here to find the Azure Pendant,” the Queen responds, as if she has heard my thoughts.
“What’s so important about this necklace? Why does everyone keep saying I have to find it? What happened to it?” The questions won’t stop. I can’t help but keep asking them, though I know that it’s bad manners to bombard the Queen with questions.
“The Azure Pendant is the most powerful tool known to the universe. All realms are constantly battling over it. Its location is not currently known, but you need to find it. If the Pendant is worn, it comes with all of the knowledge in the universe. As you probably know by now, if this Pendant falls into the wrong hands, we will all suffer,” the Queen says.
“What makes you think I can find it?” I ask. She laughs instantaneously; it’s like she knew it was coming, and the answer should have been so apparent.
“Because, my dear, you are the Suppliant, the one from the prophecy. You will find the Azure Pendant for the Light side,” she responds.
“Is there another Suppliant that can do this? I’m not sure I’m right for the job. I don’t know what it looks like.” I don’t know who I am right now. The more I’m finding out, the more I just want to get home and forget this ever happened. Isn’t it bad enough that Damien had to save my life from the people tailing us by bringing me here?
“There is no other Suppliant. Your mother passed it down to you, which in itself is a miracle. It is very rare that Suppliants replicate, and if they do, they can only produce one Suppliant, because suppliants tend to live longer than other supernaturals do,” she replies. Great. That means that I’m special. I hate to be the center of attention.
At least I know that my mom was a Suppliant. This is the first hint I’ve had about my birth parents, and it comes from this strange place. I really want to find my parents.
If what they are saying is true, that the Pendant will give the wearer all of the knowledge in the entire universe, then I have to find it. It can help me find my birth parents.
I was planning on starting the search tomorrow, but why not start now? It seems that Damien has given me a reason to look for this Pendant and a way to find my true parents. If he’s right about the time difference, I can get back and still have all summer before I go to college to relax and find myself after I’ve found my parents.
“How do I find it?” I ask, deciding to find the Pendant. I catch Damien stiffening his back out of the corner of my eye.
“Don’t get ahead of yourself, my dear. You need to be trained first. I’m sure if you go into battle right now, it would be hard to survive, even with the Protector,” the Queen says, motioning to Damien. It makes sense. I have never been in a fight and have no idea how to actually punch someone.
“When can I get started training?” I ask as the anticipation builds. My stomach is turning over, bringing hot water to my mouth. I’m going to do this. I can find my parents.
“If you’ll excuse me, I would like to speak to Damien alone,” Queen Merona says. I give a nod and stand. I follow the staff out to the lobby and find a cozy chair. I wonder what they are discussing. I guess I will have to wait and see.