by Ardis, Priya
There was a pause. Everyone across the table flipped through their handout, not because they were actually reading it, but because they needed something to do.
The Defense Secretary said, “We will make plans to evacuate underground.”
The Prime Minister shook his head. “The super solar flare will be like a million megatons of hydrogen bombs being launched on us all at once. Nothing is going to survive that.”
Dr. Latimer, his white hair glistening in the dim light, stared at the table. “The universe is in delicate balance, gentlemen. The flare will not only destroy the Earth’s surface, but also superheat the core of the planet. It won’t take long for the already unstable supervolcanic sites, like Yellowstone, to erupt. This is actually a good thing for the planet. Volcanic eruptions will tear apart the earth and release atmospheric particles trapped in the ground. That will rebuild the ozone layer and ultimately, preempt global cooling. The Garden of Eden will flourish again and the planet will rebuild.” He smiled grimly. “However, we will not survive the upcoming chain reaction. Life will be eradicated. We are the dinosaurs.”
“Kronos’s Fury,” Matt murmured beside me. “The day of reckoning.”
No one on the rectangular table heard him. The US President tapped her pen on the hefty report. “If it is inevitable, as you say, what hope do any of us have?”
Matt interrupted, “We can do this with the tools we have been given. Excalibur was sent to us for a reason.”
The Queen spoke, “Yes, since the Total Tremor, we have known something was coming. We must believe.”
With more diplomacy, the US President added, “Sitting back and doing nothing isn’t my way.”
The Defense Secretary scoffed, “How can some magical sword save an entire planet from a super solar flare? Will you go on top of the Himalayas and knock the flare out of the sky?” He glanced at me and sneered. “Should we helicopter up your precious sword-bearer?”
I rasped, “There’s more.”
No one heard me.
Matt faced the Defense Secretary with fisted hands. “She is the champion!”
With effort, I grabbed the back of Matt’s shirt. I repeated, “There’s more.”
The Queen’s sharp gaze focused on me. “What did you say, sword-bearer?”
With effort, I straightened in the wheelchair. I croaked, “More to the v-vision.”
The Queen turned to look at Matt. “Merlin?”
Matt’s amber eyes turned to me. “Ryan, what did you see?”
Black dots danced in my vision. I blinked. “I-I…”
“We should use a memory stone to extract it from her. The poor girl is in no condition to speak.” The Queen took out a smooth gemstone from her pocket. She floated the seeing stone to Matt. “This is one of the best.”
Matt grabbed the stone out of the air. “Ryan, are you sure? This won’t be easy.”
Grey grabbed his arm. “Forget it, Emrys. I won’t let you endanger her anymore.”
Matt retorted, “I would not do this if I believed it could hurt her. We’ve lost enough time to the Kronos Eye. Only a month remains until the solstice. From here on out, every day counts. You know that as well as I do.”
“Grey,” I whispered. “S’okay.”
Grey turned to look at me hesitantly.
Matt stepped around him. “Are you sure?”
A sharp pain focused my attention on my stomach. Fresh blood soaked the loose, dark fabric of my T-shirt. Hoping no one would notice, I nodded.
In his face, I saw the conflict. Should he believe me? Was risking me necessary? But we both knew this meeting was too important. This meeting would define how the world reacted. This crisis belonged to us all. It was bigger than him. Bigger than me. And I understood why he’d brought me. He needed me to see what we faced and who it would affect, not a hypothetical “whole world,” but the eyes of several billion people peeking out from behind the haunted faces of the leaders they’d chosen to represent them.
Coming to some internal decision, he put on the Dragon’s Eye and held out the seeing stone. I put a shaking hand on it. He commanded, “Atibha.”
A heavy pressure pushed down on me. I started to pant, as I was unable to breathe. A bubble of green surrounded me and I inhaled greedily. Vane’s magic, I realized.
As he’d done in the Ella caves, Matt was siphoning off Vane’s magic.
The meeting room disappeared, but the table full of people remained. The circular table above me also stayed, but the background changed as if we’d suddenly been thrust inside a movie. Still sitting in the wheelchair, I watched myself fall on the nine stones. The horsemen appeared and the scene with the trilithon and the golden apple played over, but at a removed distance.
Beside me, Matt watched it all avidly. His hand linked the stone to me. “This is it. The gates are the answer.”
“Or the apple.” I yawned. “Or both.”
The memory flickered as my strength waned. Matt waved a hand. The meeting room came back into focus.
“That’s the plan?” The Queen looked at Matt.
Around us, the table full of world leaders sat in stunned silence.
The Queen cleared her throat. “Merlin, maybe you should explain—”
Matt began to say something. I didn’t hear him. The pressure on me was replaced by a loud buzzing in my ears. The door blasted open.
Matt flew backwards across the room. The seeing stone fell at my feet.
“What have you done, Merlin?” Vane’s voice boomed through the room.
The military man jumped up. Several others on the circular table above us also rose.
“Who is he?” someone said.
“Vane.” The Queen stood up.
“This is Vane?” the US President said.
“How did you get past security?” the Defense Secretary demanded.
Men in black suits and with guns streamed in behind him, but Vane sent them flying in the air. He turned his glowing eyes on the Queen. “I don’t have time for this. Stop them or I will kill them all.”
Vane’s eyes traveled around the room. In front of me, Grey picked up the seeing stone from where it had fallen in front of the wheelchair. Behind Vane, the mermaids surrounded Vane in a protective stance.
“Why are you here?” the Queen demanded.
The other leaders sat in petrified silence. I remembered having the same reaction the day I’d met the mermaids. It hadn’t been a good day. I stared at Vane, yet again reminded that he was one of them—their king.
Vane strode straight toward us. Another wave of dizziness overtook me. The room spun and I fought to stay conscious.
The Defense Secretary yelled to the men in black, “Stop him.”
“Send more security now!” the Defense Secretary barked into a phone. He leaned down and picked up a gun from one of the fallen guards.
The men in black scrambled up. One fired at Vane’s back.
The glow of a green shield popped up around Vane. The bullet bounced off Vane’s shield and straight at the nearest target—the Defense Secretary. It hit his chest and the politician fell back on the table.
A stunned assembly watched the trail of blood seep across the white papers on the table. On the floor, Matt slowly rose from the concussion-inducing fall and rushed to the fallen man. The men in black tightened their grips on their guns. Vane glanced at the Secretary without expression and sent a wave of green magic stunned the men in black. They froze in place.
“Anyone else care to test me?” he growled.
Black oblivion stood like a shadow over me. I held it back with a fragile tip of a finger, but it wasn’t enough. Pressure squeezed my lungs. I let out silent gasps, trying to suck in air.
Vane turned toward Grey. Grey’s fingers tightened on the seeing stone. Colin stepped in front of Grey.
“She’s dying, you idiots,” Vane barked at them.
Grey blanched. “What?”
Injecting as much vitality into the statement as possible, a
nd with more effort than I actually possessed, I croaked from behind Grey, “I-I’m okay.”
His eyes snapped to me. “I don’t think so.”
Vane shoved him aside. He reached me. Monster green filled his irises. I couldn’t help flinching. Vane didn’t miss my reaction. The green receded to leave only hazel-brown. He said softly, “The beast’s caged, Ryan. It’s just me.”
The beast may have been caged, but its door had no guard. Still, I was glad to see him, ridiculously glad. Vane put his hand against my stomach. Green magic flowed over the cloth, but nothing happened. “Merlin, why isn’t this working?”
“It’s the same as in the hallway. The Kronos Eye seems to be blocking any magical healing.”
Throwing his brother a glare, he ordered. “Ragnar, call an ambulance.”
I blinked trying to stay awake as Grey scrambled to get his phone.
Vane grabbed my hand. Real fear rolled off tight shoulders. “If you close your eyes, DuLac, you’ll force me to gut my own brother.”
I almost smiled. Prince Charming, he was not. Then, my chest constricted. My arm jerked in his grip. Worried eyes, brown pupils surrounded by a ring of green, were the last thing I saw before my heart gave out.
***
I woke up to find myself in a sterile, white room.
Everything hurt. Even my eyelids were sore. When I took a breath, my side spiked with pain. My ribs were bruised. My breastbone ached as if it were pounded relentlessly, which it might have been. I remembered hazy bits of an ambulance. Beyond that, I lay immobilized on a metal bed. I looked up. Set against a tiled ceiling, bright fluorescent tubes illuminated the room with crisp clarity. A black-tinted window let in muted, natural light as if too much might be painful. The window showed I lay several stories high in a red brick building, a sign declared it as “Thoreau General.”
I stretched out my hand, wincing as something pulled at my skin. Thin tubes slipped beneath the dermis connected to an IV marked “saline.” A metal heart rate monitor was wrapped around my index finger on my right hand. Machines beeped steadily behind my head. I pushed up with my elbows on the slanted mattress of the hospital bed and reached for a plastic tumbler full of water. I only had enough strength to swipe at it drunkenly.
The door opened.
“Morning, Sleeping Beauty.” Grey walked into the hospital room carrying a handful of white lilies.
I arched a brow, the only action that didn’t cause shooting pain. “You got me flowers? You must have been really worried.”
“Mom started it.” He crossed the room and pulled me into a tight hug. I squeezed him feebly. Weakness made my bones feel like liquid. I tried to drop back against the pillows. Grey held me tighter. “You look better. A lot better. Don’t do that again.”
With effort, I put a hand on his back. “I know I should’ve found a way to call you from Sri Lanka, but it was only for a few days—”
Grey pulled back with a strange expression. “It’s been two months since India, Ryan. I found you at the old bridge four days ago.”
My jaw dropped open. “What—?”
A round, middle-aged woman, wearing blue scrubs, bustled inside the room. “You’re awake! I was hopeful when your heart rate fluctuated.” With a beaming smile, she crossed to check the beeping machine behind my head. She gave Grey an impatient look and he quickly moved out of her way to the other side of the bed.
I watched her. “What happened to me?”
The nurse stilled, giving Grey an odd look. “We have an on-staff counselor. She will be happy to come and talk to you.”
On-staff counselor? That didn’t sound good. What story did they tell the hospital? I touched my stomach. Under the cotton blue gown, thick bandages taped my stomach. The Minotaur’s sharp teeth flashed in my mind. It was hazy, thankfully so, but I remembered it with more clarity than I intended. I remembered the pain.
Suddenly, I wanted to rip the gown off and examine the horror waiting for me underneath.
Grey leaned over me, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. “You’ll be fine. Mom brought in the best plastic surgeon in the area. It just needs time to heal.”
Plastic surgeon? Since when did I need a surgeon when there were a bunch of wizards running around? I rubbed my forehead. Memories seemed hazy. I remembered the hallway and the monster. I remembered a strange, yet incredibly real dream of a meeting at the UN. I remembered Vane’s fist pounding my chest, fighting for me. Or was it the monster who fought? I didn’t know.
While the nurse busily checked my pulse, Grey went to a long tray table beside the bed and replaced some dead daisies inside a crystal-blue vase.
I stared at the wilted brown petals. “How long have I been here?”
“Almost four days,” the nurse answered cheerfully.
I started coughing. The nurse handed me the plastic tumbler of water and waited. I lifted the tumbler with shaky hands to my mouth and managed to take a small swallow. My body ached as if it had been run over by a semi-truck. Four days in the hospital. Two months lost. My mind struggled to process the numbers. I remembered hazy bits of the hospital. Waking up a few times in a darkened room—probably this room—then quickly passing out again.
The nurse continued to watch me with a critical eye. She waited until I finished drinking before saying briskly, “Excellent. You’ll be hungry soon. I’m going to order you some food. I need to alert your doctor and the… others.” She pointed to a cord hanging off the hospital bed. “If you need anything, push this button.” In a whirlwind of efficiency, she spun around to leave as quickly as she came. She paused at the door and oddly enough, glanced back at Grey. “Are you sure you don’t want me to stay, hon?”
I took Grey’s hand and squeezed it to show her. “I’ll be fine with my brother.”
The nurse nodded, but the worried look didn’t leave her eyes. This time, when the door opened, I noticed that two men in black suits stood just outside my room.
As soon as the door reclosed, I dropped Grey’s hand. “Why am I in a hospital? And why was the nurse looking at you like you’re a murderer or rapist? What’s going on?”
“Er, a lot has happened, Ry.” He paused, giving me a deer-in-headlights look that made me wish I had the strength to toss the tumbler of water at him. “Are you sure you’re ready to hear all of this?”
I ground out, “Start at the beginning.”
“I got to the Old North Bridge at the same time as the paramedics. You were really torn up and… God, the blood.” His eyes took on a faraway look. “I don’t think I can ever go back to that park again.”
My heart skipped a beat. Alexa. We lost her at the bridge. I picked up his hand and squeezed it.
Grey shook off the memory. “Anyway, we made up a story of you being attacked. The police wanted to know how I knew you were there, so I planted a cell on you. Except for a few hours, you’ve been here since I found you with your stomach ripped open, bleeding to death at the park. Understandably, the nurses have been rather protective of you. They said they’d never seen such a horrific mauling. It almost looked like an animal attack, but some of the bruises they found came from human fingers.”
I touched my stomach, pressing in on the heavy bandages, and tears of pain sprung to my eyes. The Minotaur flashed in my head again. I shivered. Even though he tore me open to save me, I don’t think I’ll ever forget those teeth. “And Matt?”
“He was unconscious when the police came. They think he was attacked first. Which got him off the hook, unfortunately—”
I held up a hand. “What do you mean unfortunately? Is he all right?”
“He’s fine,” Matt answered for himself.
For the first time since I had known him, my heart didn’t immediately leap into my throat at the mere sight of him. It could have been because everything hurt too much. Messy, brown hair fell over his forehead as he crossed the room to me. Oh, he still looked mouthwatering in a tight brown T-shirt, lean abs, and ragged jeans, but the faraway, unfocused look
in his eyes, which formerly intrigued me so, only annoyed me today.
Grey moved so quickly I almost didn’t see him. He punched Matt in the face, growling, “How did you get past my gargoyles? I told you, Emrys, you’re not welcome here.”
Matt reeled back at the surprise attack.
A clipped accented voice said, “Mr. Ragnar, step back. The gargoyles are fine. Just a minor freeze spell.”
“Freeze spell?” the other one muttered, as if he couldn’t believe it.
Two men came into the room.
I recognized the first one right away. “James Bond.”
“Robin,” corrected the British spy from Sri Lanka.
I studied the other man in quintessential Boston wear—black T-shirt, dark jeans, and a Red Sox baseball hat. The whole ensemble was perfect. A little too perfect. Still, he was definitely American. I said, “Is this your friend, Felix?”
“I prefer Frank,” the CIA agent confirmed with a warm, you-should-trust-me smile.
I didn’t buy it. “What’s going on, Grey?”
“Sire!” Colin and five other gargoyles crowded into the small room. Robin and Frank reacted immediately by positioning themselves between Matt and the gargoyles. The spies slipped out handguns with silencers from under their shirts.
Colin sneered at the two. “As if that would hurt us, Regulars.”
“No, but it will slow you down enough to take your head,” Robin replied.
Two of the gargoyles behind Colin snarled.
I gaped at them all. Nothing in the bizarre scene made sense. I guessed that Matt and the two spies were allied together, and Grey was pissed at Matt. The latter wasn’t so odd, after all. Grey lunged at Matt again.
“Grey, stop!” I said.
Colin caught him. Grey spat, “He almost killed you.”
“I wasn’t trying to kill her,” Matt said, rubbing his jaw. “I’m trying save her. To save all of us. She agreed to use the seeing stone.”
Grey snorted in disbelief. “You should never have taken her to New York. She had a cardiac arrest.”
I squawked, “The UN meeting was real?”