He looked over at Roland and Ardal. “According to Gabriel, Zara is bent upon destroying Annabelle, and she’s somehow found a way to imprison the spirits of my parents.”
“Spirits?” Roland seemed confused. “Never mind. She must be using a form of black magic in order to imprison them, white magic could never restrain spirits with the powers your parent’s would possess.”
“I know.” The handle of the mirror warmed in Malachi’s hands.
“There’s more.” Gabriel looked as serious as he’d ever seen him.
“Go on.” He prompted. Dread still coiled in his belly.
“Zara is dead.”
“Now, you are straining the limits of my patience, mirror!” Roland strode toward him, he reached angrily for the mirror. Malachi kept it just out of his reach.
“I don’t think so, Roland. This mirror is mine. And the image in the mirror has a name. His name is Lord Gabriel.”
Roland narrowed his eyes at him. “No doubt he is another one of your family ghosts?”
“He is a cursed family ghost. It sort of makes him a family retainer.”
“I resent that,” Gabriel grumbled.
He looked back at Gabriel. “We can’t diddle dawdle making small talk. Please, continue. We can’t waste much more time. I must start my pursuit of Zara.”
“That’s what I’m trying to tell you. She isn’t Zara. Zara died in childbirth having Annabelle. The queen hasn’t been our true queen for twenty-three years. It is her twin sister, Anastasia.”
“Damn it! Why haven’t we been aware of this before this?”
“She is powerful. More powerful than even Zara. She uses dark magic. She is nearly unstoppable. You must use great caution in approaching her. Her duplicity has gotten her this far. She’s pulled off the ultimate con by fooling everyone, including her own ‘supposed’ husband.”
“I will walk through the fires of hell itself if it means getting Annabelle back,” Malachi vowed.
“As will I. I will also see my wife avenged. For so long I’ve thought so ill of her. I thought she had turned her back on me—I believed she was a most undutiful wife. Instead, I find out that I was the one that failed her. I should have been there for her. I should have protected her from the likes of her sister. I cursed her all of these years. I loved her...I still do. Oh, my darling Zara, I am sorry. I can’t fail our daughter.”
*****
Annabelle felt as if she’d been drugged. Sluggishness tore at her being. She used every ounce of her strength to move her body. She was contorted in a tight space. No doubt, she had been thrown into some sort of cubbyhole prison. She groaned. She really needed someone to help her.
“Annabelle?”
She shook her head. She couldn’t be hearing Delbert’s voice. He was supposed to be riding on ahead of them …unless ….
“Da—I mean Delbert?” When she spoke, her voice came out as a mere croak. She sounded like a bloody frog.
“Yes. I am here. I never knew she was going to do this to you. I just thought she had to be better than your father, King Roland.”
Tears pooled in her eyes. “You did this to me? Why?”
“I never knew this would happen to you, Annabelle. I believed she was your mother. She is our queen, after all.”
“She isn’t our queen. Nor is she my mother. She’s my wicked aunt, but not my mother.”
“I can’t seem to get the lock off this door,” Delbert complained.
“That’s because the lock is probably enchanted. You don’t have a hope in finding a way to get that off.”
“I might…I nicked this magical key off a wizard before I came in here.”
“It might not be the right magical key, Da.”
“I’m not going to leave you behind.”
“I don’t even know why you’re here in the first place.”
“I sort of tagged along after Mavis. She’s a loyal subject of the queen’s. She praises her day and night. She thinks she is some sort of living goddess.”
“Nice. Are you telling me that Mavis is a witch?”
“A witch and a spy. Aye. She was placed at Roland’s court to collect information on him.”
“Oh, no. Maybe fate was intervening when she drank my poisoned tea. Why did I have to beg my father to save her?”
“Because you aren’t the sort of girl to let someone die needlessly. Thank you, Princess. However, I don’t think I can be so merciful to you.”
Her blood ran cold at the sound of Mavis’s voice.
“You owe me.” She knew she was grasping at straws, but she had to figure out a way to free Malachi’s parents before she was killed.
“You seem so noble. You are bravely facing death. I admire that, Princess Annabelle.”
“What are you doing, Mavis? You are supposed to help me free Annabelle.” She could hear Delbert inserting the enchanted key into the lock.
“I’m no fool, Delbert. But you’ve played the part of one long enough. You are so simple and yet so complicated. You will never be able to deny the need to steal. Even if you had more money than you could count you still wouldn’t be able to resist the lure of another treasure.”
Annabelle could only hope that the key would work.
“I won’t allow you and that bitch queen to hurt Annabelle.”
“Bitch queen? How dare you speak so low of my queen! She has more vision in her than her twin ever did. We have been planning this day for many years. She finally has what she needs to destroy Roland and the entire Hawthorne clan! She will prevail.”
“Not on my watch.” She could hear the key finally break through the locking spell. She pushed open the door to her cupboard of a prison, and used what little energy she had left to crawl out of the cubbyhole and stand up. The dragon ruby now gave off a deep reddish glow.
She smiled. Pushing Delbert out of the way, she stood in front of the gaping Mavis.
“Where has the queen imprisoned Lady Melody and her husband?”
“I won’t tell you! I will never willingly betray my queen.”
“Willingly? How about I coerce you into telling me?” She stroked the dragon ruby. Mavis’s eyes fell to the amulet.
“I’ve heard tall tales about Dragon Rubies. I don’t believe any of them.”
“Believe it. You might be a witch, but as soon as you draw upon the dark magic you wield, the dragon ruby will move to protect me.”
Mavis’s eyes flashed with triumph. “You are bluffing. That amulet would no more harm me than it would the queen.”
“It didn’t hurt Anastasia because she is of my blood.” The words were out of her mouth before full recognition of what they meant struck home. It had to be the only explanation. The dragon ruby was going to defend her against Mavis, but it hadn’t moved into protective mode against Anastasia because she was her blood aunt.
Delbert gradually moved so he was standing directly behind her. “I’d take my daughter’s words to heart. She never lies. I’ve tried to teach her how, to no avail.” He sighed mournfully.
Annabelle rolled her eyes. “Listen to me carefully, Mavis. I am leaving this room to find Melody and her husband, and unless you tell me where they are and lead me to them, I’m going to move you out of my path with the magic of the ruby.”
“Your measly little amulet is nothing against my terrible powers.” Mavis contorted her face into a malicious sneer. Annabelle gasped for air. Mavis had to be using her powers to draw the oxygen out of the room.
Annabelle glanced briefly back at Delbert, he too, was labouring for breath.
She raised her hand. The dragon ruby glowed deepened to a deep red colour. Its light was almost brilliant. She knew it was going to take action soon. It would not allow her to die.
She wished for it to do something—now! And, then, it fired. She put her hand up to her eyes, to shield them from the blare. The acrid stench of burnt flesh nearly brought her to her knees. Delbert held onto her tightly. He had buried his head in her back.
�
�Is it over?” His voice sounded strained. He hadn’t been expecting the sort of damage that the dragon ruby had meted out.
“Aye.” Her voice even sounded shaky to her. It was no wonder, her nerves felt as if they were going to snap. “Come on, Delbert. We have to find Lady Melody.”
“I’m sorry I ever got you into this mess. Mavis told me that we had to rescue you from Roland and Malachi. I stupidly believed her.”
“It’s not your fault. I was the one that asked Roland to save her back at the castle, remember? Sometimes, we all do things we regret.”
“You did what you had to do. You would have been no better than Mavis had you allowed her to die.”
Annabelle nodded her head. “Let’s go.” They cautiously stepped over the ashes of Mavis. Her stomach turned. “I can’t say I like this gruesomely graphic part of defeating Mavis.”
“Couldn’t you just have made the dragon ruby kill her without blowing her up?”
“I haven’t really mastered controlling the magic it contains yet. All I know is that it will go to any lengths to protect the wearer.”
“Aye. Any lengths are right.”
They walked out into the hallway. The corridor was dark. She couldn’t figure out where they were.
“Do you recognize the castle we are in?”
“Aye.”
Delbert sounded skittish. “Why do you sound so nervous, Delbert?”
“Legend says that this castle once belonged to the most famous dark wizard of the last age. They say his ghost still lingers in these halls.”
“Ghost or not, we have to continue on. I will not allow Melody and her husband to be lost to Anastasia. The woman needs to be stopped.”
“I couldn’t agree with you more.”
She could feel herself being drawn onward. She had to follow her instincts, even if they led her astray.
“Look at that door. Do you think that enchanted key you have will open it?”
Delbert looked uncertain. “I can give it a shot. How do you know Malachi’s parents will be in there?”
“I can feel Malachi. They have to be in there. Malachi is far from here, and it would make sense that his parents would give off the same kind of feeling.”
“It would indeed,” Delbert agreed.
He leaned toward the door, pulling out his enchanted key from his jacket pocket.
“Let’s hope this works.”
She heard the lock click open within seconds of him inserting the magical key.
“Looks as if we’re in.” He opened the door cautiously.
They stepped into the darkened room, instantly, the dragon ruby started to glow illuminating the room for them to see their way around.
She searched for something that might be able to hold the spirit of a deceased witch or wizard.
“I think I found them!” Delbert had wandered away from her.
She looked over at him, and made her way to his side.
“Globes. They’ve been trapped in crystal globes?”
Melody seemed to be sleeping. She tapped the globe hoping to resuscitate Melody. Gradually, Melody started to stir.
Opening her eyes, she blinked up in confusion at Annabelle.
“Annabelle? How did you escape?” Melody asked.
“I had a little help from my Da…I mean Delbert.”
“Thank the Fates.” Melody smiled up at her.
“How do I free you?” Annabelle asked.
“I am afraid you don’t have the magical skills necessary to free me from this prison I’m in. Ciaran is over there, in the greenish globe.”
“I see him.” She moved to the globe and picked it up. She glanced down at Delbert’s traveling bag he had slung over his shoulder.
“You know we’re going to have to use that.”
Opening the bag, he gave her a crafty smile. “Those globes are probably the most priceless artifact this old bag has ever seen.”
Giving him a soft smile, she sighed. “We have to get out of this bloody castle as soon as we can. Melody, I’m sorry, but you’ll be draped in more darkness for a bit, until we can get out of here.”
“I understand. We both do. Ciaran won’t be conscious for a few more minutes, Anastasia really did some damage to him. His energy is spent.”
“I’m so sorry to hear that she’s been torturing you in this way.”
“I should have predicted it. I never should have fallen for her ruse in the first place. My apologies, Annabelle. I was supposed to be your mother’s sworn protector…I failed her miserably.”
“We can’t think of that now. You had no way of knowing. No way whatsoever. The only person I hold culpable is Anastasia. When the time is right, I will make her pay.”
“You’ll need Malachi, and your father. As much as I hate to admit it, we will need Roland’s magical might. Anastasia is strong…more powerful than any dark witch I’ve ever been engaged in battle with.”
“I know.” Annabelle nodded her head in understanding. “I hate to cut our chat short, but we have to get a move on.” She picked up the globe that Melody was trapped in and carefully slipped it into Delbert’s bag. “Make sure you don’t fall on the globes and crush them.”
“Don’t worry, I’m light as a feather on my feet. How do you think I’ve managed to nick fragile items in the past?”
She rolled her eyes. She really didn’t want to know.
“Let’s go.” She stopped when she heard the sound of voices traveling toward them. “Oh, no!”
He looked at her his eyes wide with worry. “What the hell do we do now? They’ve probably discovered what you did to dear old Mavis.”
She looked over at him. “Give me your hand.”
“You haven’t wanted to hold my hand since you were a child.”
“I have an idea.”
“What? You want me to get behind you so you can blow whoever is coming toward us to kingdom come?”
“No. I’m going to try to veil us.”
“Veil us?” He shook his head in confusion. “I’m a peace loving non magical human. Why is this happening to me?”
“Because you’re my adoptive father—I’m sorry.”
“I’m not. I just wish I could find some sort of wishing crystal or something.”
“If we get out of this alive, I’ll have Malachi conjure you up whatever your heart desires.”
“You’d do that for me?”
“Of course I would. I missed getting you a birthday gift.”
He chuckled. “You always do know how to make me feel better.”
“I need your hand—now! There’s no guarantee that this will even work…I haven’t been able to veil myself since I left Malachi.”
“Maybe you need to think of him when you veil. Just focus on him, draw on the love in your heart. It just might work.”
Closing her eyes, she thought of him. If he were near, he’d be able to hear her thoughts, she felt quite certain of that.
“It’s working! I can’t see my feet.” He looked over at her. “And you’re gone. Think of Malachi some more, we’re going to be discovered any minute, and right now, I’m a floating torso.”
Annabelle scrunched her eyes shut tighter, and regulated her breathing.
Malachi. Malachi. Malachi.
Her thoughts were so focused on him, that she wouldn’t be surprised if she actually called him to her. She looked over at Delbert. One of his arms was invisible, now she just had to work on getting his other arm, his chest and his head to disappear.
He was getting jumpy. If she didn’t get him invisible soon, she was afraid he’d scream or something. He was the one that carried the globes, and she couldn’t leave here without him.
Malachi.
As the door in front of them opened, Delbert disappeared completely. She heard him sigh in wonderment and relief.
“They’re gone!” Anastasia burst into the room. Her rage was palpable. Delbert’s hand grew slick with perspiration. She pulled him toward her. They had to get out of here
soon. She had no way of knowing if users of dark magic could track the veiling.
Delbert moved with her. They both were floating, so at least their movements couldn’t be heard.
With him trailing behind her, they slipped through the wall. “Oh, uh!” She looked around them. They floated in mid-air. It looked as if they’d been in a room that had boasted an outside wall.
Great.
Delbert now gripped her hand so tightly that she wondered if her bones were going to snap under the extreme pressure.
She continued to concentrate, willing them to float to the ground without the veil breaking and throwing them back into their normal forms.
As soon as they were inches off the ground, Delbert exhaled. “Thank the Fates. I thought we were goners for sure. I’m so proud of you, Annabelle!”
Her heart thrilled. She’d done it. Unfortunately, her energy was badly depleted. “I don’t think I’ll be able to hold the veiling for much longer, we have to get through the castle gates, or I’m afraid that Anastasia will be able to get us again.”
“Move quickly, then.”
Annabelle started to run, pulling him behind her. She could hear the globes rattling in his bag. They had to make it.
They were almost at the castle gates, when the sentries turned to look their way. Anastasia had to be behind her. They had to make it!
Her legs felt heavy. Her breathing was ragged, and it was becoming increasingly hard for her to hold the veil in place. Her breathing was so laboured. She could see that some sort of battle was being waged behind the walls.
One sentry fell with a scream to the ground. She looked behind them, Anastasia pursued them with several of her other witches and wizards.
“Get them!” She looked down at herself…her heart sank like a ship. She had lost the veil.
“I am sorry, Da. You need to keep running. The gate is opening, you have to get out and get Lady and Lord Markham to safety.”
“I’m not going to just leave you here, for Anastasia.”
“If you can get out, then whoever is fighting to get in will know I need help.”
He looked at her, and then looked at the gate. He seemed unwilling to leave her.
“You need to go, Da. I can’t keep it up. I’m finally just too tired.”
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