by LJ Rivers
“Oh, my.” Jen winked. “I believe our Char has finally found someone she can hang on to for more than a few days.”
“Hey!” Charlie tossed a chunk of dried grass at Jen. “I’m not that bad. Zoe and I went out for at least a month or two.”
“Well, I’m happy for you. Wouldn’t you agree, Red?”
“I guess.” I collected myself, deciding not to voice my true feelings again. Rowan wasn’t coming back with us, and their relationship would end the moment we went through the portal. Seeing Charlie like this, however, I couldn’t bring myself to ruin it for her. “I mean, I’ve counted you as my sister for a long time. If the two of you got married, then—”
She held a hand up. “Uhm, I’m not the marrying kind. Still, now that you put it like that, maybe I would, just to become your sister for real.”
“Hang on! Who am I supposed to marry?” Jen pouted, though her eyes were full of mischief. “You have any more brothers I don’t know about, Red?”
“One is enough, I think. It doesn’t matter who, because you’ll both always be my angels. Men or no men. Or women. Whatever.”
We laughed and continued to banter, just sitting like that for a while, chatting as if we didn’t have a care in the world. Still, somewhere in the back of my mind, a growing sense of urgency was building fast. We couldn’t stay here much longer. My father would come. If not himself, then at least he was likely to send someone after me. Every second we stayed, my friends were at risk.
“I wonder what Duncan would have said about all this,” Charlie murmured. “Man, he would have been so miffed he didn’t get to be a part of this.”
I wrapped an arm around her. “You miss him, huh?”
“Oh, all the time. I guess he’s the only thing I truly miss from home.” She laughed a little. “Remember when you made us that picnic, Ru? I can still taste those strawberries on my tongue.”
“You mean when Duncan came clean about his newest addiction.” I rolled my eyes.
“Gambling,” the three of us chorused.
“He seemed fine the last time we spoke, though, didn’t he?” Charlie asked. “I really think he managed to turn his life around.”
“Defo.” Jen nodded. “That girl he was with by those Romanian waterfalls probably had something to do with it. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him look that happy.”
“I know, right?” Charlie sighed. “I’m glad he found some kind of direction in his life.”
“Well,” I dragged the word. “We should all go see him once we return.”
“Oh, for sure.” Jen flashed her teeth. “He’ll be gutted he missed out on this adventure. I can’t wait to rub it in his silly face.”
Charlie gaped at us. “Uhm.”
“What?” We looked at her expectantly.
“Spit it out,” Jen said.
“Well, you do realise we won’t be able to do that, right?”
I frowned. “I’m not staying, Char. I thought I had made that abundantly clear.”
She wriggled out of my arm, avoiding my gaze. “There is nothing on Earth for any of us. Not anymore.”
“What do you mean?” Jen crossed her arms. “I haven’t spoken to my mère since we left for that nutbag town in Wales, and I’m pretty sure my siblings are pissed at me for the radio silence.”
Charlie adjusted her glasses and looked between us, barely making eye contact. “So, we’ve been in Gwyn Fanon for over two months, right?”
“Yeah? Maybe.”
“Has it really been that long?” I sighed.
“On Earth, it will have been much longer,” she said quietly.
My mind went into overdrive. I had already suspected we had stayed too long, and during a conversation with Pullhelli after Morgana’s death, I had tried to do the math, but I couldn’t even begin to contemplate it then. A terrible feeling of dread washed over me as the immensity of what Charlie was saying finally kicked in. What did one day in Avalon equate to on Earth?
Jen pushed away from us, waving her hands in the air. “What are you saying, Char?”
“When we came here, we expected fifteen hundred years to have passed, right? While in reality, only eighteen months had gone by. It’s really simple math. If we use what we know, more than two months here would equal close to two hundred years on Earth. I would estimate somewhere north of one hundred and seventy.” She shifted closer to me. “Ru, if we go back now, we don’t know what we’ll be returning to. For all we know, Earth could be in a Mad Max Thunderdome kind of state. Climate changes might have spiralled our world into another ice age, and if not, there might be famine and drought, even raging wars over scarce resources. We could be running from one war here, only to jump straight into another that we know nothing about.”
The gut-wrenching sound of a sob tore at my heart, and I turned to Jen.
Tears flooded down her cheeks. She hugged herself and was shaking like it was midwinter. “My—my family,” she cried. “My family!”
I gasped. If Charlie was right, Jen’s entire family would be gone. “Oh, Jen.” I reached for her, but she pulled away.
“I should have known,” she muttered. “I just, I never thought ... I guess I knew on some level that time would have moved more quickly, but it didn’t occur to me that it would have been this long.” She howled, an inhuman sound, and white fur sprouted from her ears and down her neck. “They’re all dead,” she cried.
Her clothes ripped at the seams as the animal inside her forced itself to the surface. The white wolf emerged, her glacier-blue eyes veiled with tears. She howled again, making my stomach clench at the agony in it. Snapping her jaws, she turned away from us, then bounded into the forest, running past Brendan, who appeared in the treeline.
He glanced after her, then came to sit with Charlie and me. “What’s up with her?”
We looked at each other, and Charlie shook her head, her cheeks blotched and tears welling in her eyes. The wind had picked up, and a low rumble faded in the distance. Charlie shivered and pulled the throw tighter.
I bit down on my lip and took a deep breath. “Come here.” I opened my arms, inviting Brendan into my embrace. He furrowed his brows but fell into my arms.
“What?”
“She’s upset,” I said, “because we just realised something awful.” I stroked his soft hair and inhaled his spicy scent. “While we have been here, Earth has moved on. Wait, I’m not explaining this right.” I took a deep breath, then tried again. “Charlie says she thinks Earth might have moved on like, close to two hundred years.”
He sat up in one abrupt movement, his eyes fixed on Charlie. “Tell me you’re joking?”
She sucked her lips between her teeth, shaking her head.
“Ru, come on! She’s wrong, isn’t she?”
A salty taste washed over my tongue as I let myself feel the hurt in his voice.
His face fell, and he became still as a rock, almost as if he was unable to breathe.
“I’m sorry, B,” Charlie choked out. “I guess I always thought you guys were aware.”
He glared at her. “My parents. My sister. Char, didn’t you think for a second that you should have brought this up sooner?”
“Well, I—” She fidgeted with the throw. “Time just flew by, you know. A few days would have been fine. Then, before I knew it, a month had passed, and it was already too late. I guess I thought you knew, but that we just didn’t talk about it.”
“For someone as smart as you, you can be a real dimwit sometimes,” he snapped.
She scrambled to her feet. “I’m really sorry.” Spinning around, she took to her heels and ran off.
“Did you have to be so hard on her?” I asked. “It’s not her fault.”
He met my gaze, and my body sagged. I had never seen him like this. With all the people I had lost, I knew that look. Brendan was not as familiar with death as I was. Not of that kind, not when it was someone he loved, someone that was family. To lose his entire family in the space of a sentence must ha
ve been devastating to him.
I pulled him closer, hugging him to me. His arms hung by his side, and his body was tense, his muscles rock hard under my grip. “I didn’t mean it, love. I’m sorry about everything. I’m sorry I dragged you into this. If it wasn’t for me, then—”
“Don’t,” he muttered.
Slowly, the tension seeped out of him, his muscles relaxed and he drew in a deep breath. The angry glimmer in his eyes faded. I had seen him do this before. It was part of a mental exercise he used in his fencing. It was all about compartmentalising, so he could focus on the task at hand and not be influenced by what he was unable to fix. Usually, that applied to his fencing opponent, not how to deal with time travel. But I supposed it could work here, too.
He put a finger to my lips. “I don’t want to hear another word of your apologies or self-pity. I chose to come here, as did Jen and the others. We are responsible for our own lives. It’s not your fault, and it’s not Char’s fault either. A part of me already knew, and I chose to look away. I shouldn’t have taken it out on her like that. No one is to blame but Auberon. You, least of all.”
“How can you say that?”
He cupped my face in his hands as a tear swam down his jawline. “Because we are not defined by others. Your only flaw is wanting the best for everyone around you, forgetting about yourself and denying what you are. Ru, you are good, and your people are counting on you. Char is right. If there is no one left on Earth that we knew, then this is our new reality, and we have to fight for it.”
“I would if I thought it would make a difference.”
He paused, just looking at me for another few breaths. “Then maybe we don’t fight. Maybe we can go back to Talani and make a life there. Build ourselves a nice little cottage of our own.”
“I’d like that.” It was a dream, a hope made of air and childish convictions. We would never be able to live that life with Auberon still on the throne. But I didn’t say it out loud. Instead, I kissed my intended and allowed the dream to linger between our lips for a fleeting moment. Once we broke apart again, that dream would have already died.
Chapter Four
The twelfth hour of the day had come, according to what Halwyn insisted was the most accurate hourglass in the realm. I had no reason to think he was wrong, as I had seen how the grains inside my own hourglass—the one Halwyn had provided me with on our first visit to his farm—worked even if held upside down. I ran my fingers through Kit’s thick fur, scratching him behind his ears. His size and lynx-like features, along with Brendan’s thickening beard, were perhaps the most visible proof of how much time had passed since we stepped through the portal on Bardsey Island back in Wales.
“Would you like some stew, Highness?” Wadyan said.
“I thought you’d never ask,” I said. “Ever since Brendan and I came walking across the field earlier—it’s getting rather nippy, by the way—the scent has been killing me. What’s in it?”
He handed me a bowl the size of Wembley Stadium. “Oh, I couldn’t possibly divulge that, even to a queen. I would be an outcast among Goblins.”
“Is that true?” I sat and dipped my spoon into the clear, dark orange broth.
“Would I lie to a queen?” The glimmer in his eyes gave him away.
“In a heartbeat,” I said, stuffing my gob with the most amazing explosion of flavours. There had to be herbs in that stew that only Goblins could name. “Thish ish maghifishenh!”
Kit craned his neck and sniffed the edge of the bowl. He gave a disapproving shake of his head, before jumping down from my lap. He went into his regular yoga and stretching routine, yawning and flashing fangs that would have fit perfectly in a lion’s mouth. Then, as if this was the most boring setting ever, he dumped over on his side, appearing to be fast asleep before his body came to rest.
Wadyan grinned. “I’m pleased you like it. To be honest, it’s just this morning’s soup, with some additions. There’s teim, gold mair and rhosmari in it. Carrots, pumpkin, and the succulent meat of a goat’s kid. And a few secret ingredients, of course.”
“Like Goblin magic?”
His large ears flapped excitedly. “Perhaps.”
Something twitched in the back of my mind. “Did you say gold mair? The yellow leaves?” It was what Tabitha had used to soothe Willow when the baby Phoenix got her first teeth.
Halwyn exited the small door that led to the storage part of the deceptively shaped cottage. “We only use those yellow leaves to relieve pain. The red ones, in the right quantity, can send you into a state reminiscent of moonrage. No, for her baking, my Corlai used the blue ones. They have magic in them, but mostly for taste.”
I squinted at him. “Mostly?”
“In large quantities, it is said to give the sight of fish under water. I have not tried this myself, not since I was a wee lad. Once, Goff and I set forth to consume enough of it to gain the underwater vision. I think we might have been around ten at the time. After each of us had stuffed a full pound of it in our bellies, we were sick for three days. It was not a pretty sight, nor an experience I would like to revisit.” He chuckled. “I can’t remember seeing anything but the contents of … well, I won’t bother you with the details.”
“I appreciate that. How much did you put in the stew, Wadyan?” I stared sceptically into the bowl.
“Half a leaf. You’re safe, don’t worry.”
“Oh, right. Well then, I think I’ll risk it. It’s too delicious to pass up on.”
“Call the others, son,” said Halwyn. “I think we all need to eat.”
Wadyan went outside to get Taryn and my friends. I hadn’t spoken to anyone but Brendan since Charlie told us about the time difference. Jen had been out running, and Brendan had gone to find Charlie to apologise for his outburst. I’d been in my chair for the last hour or so, trying—and failing—to keep my mind off that particular issue.
One of the windows creaked, and Halwyn went to check on it. He opened it slightly, then pulled it tight. “Have to fix that,” he grunted.
“Huh?”
He nodded at the window. “Wind’s picking up, and this won’t stay shut. Oh, and if you still plan on visiting your grandfather today, you might want to think twice about it. There’s a storm brewing, and it might hit our side of the island if we’re unlucky.”
“I’ll hear what Brendan says, as I want him to come, too. My grandfather and he were—”
The hairs on the back of my neck stood up, and the temperature in the room dropped. Even though the fire burned just as hot as ever, the light dimmed as if a set of sheer drapes had been closed in front of it.
“Rowan? Is that you?”
Tendrils of darkness slid across the floor, forming a larger shadow in the corner.
“I think your brother is outside,” Halwyn said.
If that was true, someone else was in the shadows.
He’s here!
I couldn’t believe the nerve of him! And although it would be just like him, at the same time I couldn’t fathom why my father would risk coming after me himself?
When the Sorcerer stepped out of the shadows, it was indeed a man of Merlin’s blood.
“Lord Pullhelli!” I blurted, relieved to be wrong in my assumptions.
He reached for me with a trembling hand and opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came. Instead, the elder brother of Merlin collapsed on the floor. His head would have hit the wood hard if I hadn’t reacted as quickly as I did. Gently, I lowered his body to the floor inside my force field.
“Is he—?” Halwyn gasped.
“Not if I can help it.” Dropping to my knees beside Pullhelli, I retracted the force field and placed my hand on the old man’s chest. “He’s breathing.”
As easily as snapping my fingers, I changed my magical energy from force field to healing and pushed a heavy load of it inside the man I had only recently learned was my great-uncle. The remaining shadows vanished, and the glowing red and orange light of my magic filled the room.
The faulty window was flung open from a gust of wind. My magic spread like fire on Pullhelli’s chest, and his body jerked as if it had been shocked by electricity.
I had never thought of it that way, but as I watched my power fill my uncle with renewed energy, it made sense. My healing had the opposite effect of electricity, at least on Mags. Where the electric currents drained magic out of us, Fae healing rejuvenated it, somehow.
“I—I think that’s enough,” Pullhelli croaked. He pushed at my hand to get it off his chest. “This old vessel can’t take all your youthful magic, I’m afraid.”
I retracted my hand and called my magic back inside my core. “Yes, of course. Sorry.”
“Never be sorry for using your gift to save lives. After all, it is in your nature, Ruby.”
“All lives are sacred,” I whispered. I shook myself back to the reality of his presence. “What are you doing here? And how did you—?”
The door sprung open, and Rowan, Brendan, and Charlie burst inside.
“What’s going on?” Brendan asked. “From the colours and glow, it looked like the house was on fire.”
Kit jumped in through the half-open window and ran to me. He looked ready to attack, but his fierce expression quickly dissolved into one of devotion when he recognised the old Sorcerer.
“My Lord, what are you doing here?” Rowan asked.
“I was just about to respond to Queen Ruby’s exact same question,” said the old man. “Though, perhaps you could help me back on my feet first?”
“Of course.” My brother and Brendan grabbed Pullhelli under his arms and more or less carried him to the chair I had just left.
“Well, maybe a bit more than I bargained for.” Pullhelli chuckled. “Thank you, boys.”
“How did you get here?” Charlie pulled out one of the chairs from the dining table. She invited me to sit before going back to get another one for herself.