“Isn't there anything you can do?” Cali asked.
“Yes, I could have her wake up right now, but we Healers have found that sometimes it is best to allow the body to heal itself. I am keeping a close eye on her.”
Her voice was becoming clearer now. I was starting to regain feeling in my limbs. I wondered if I could open my eyes. I attempted to do so and saw fluttering of light, and I knew that they would see me trying to open my eyes.
“Jasmine, you’re waking up!” Cali yelled.
“I told you she would be okay. She had only been out half an hour.”
“Jasmine can you hear me?” Cali asked. “Jasmine?”
“Yes…”
There was a cold washcloth over my forehead. I could now feel the cold water dripping along my brow. I wondered how I had made it into my quarters. Who had carried me? How long had I been lying underneath my sisters dead hanging body before I was dragged out of there? I didn't have the strength to ask all the questions to which I wanted answers. I was thinking over and over of all the questions in my head, and trying to find the strength to voice them.
I heard a loud pounding in the distance. I didn't know if someone was trying to get into my quarters. I heard people yelling and sounds as they ran up the incline. Somebody was then pounding on my door.
“Who would that be?” Rebecca asked. “We told everyone we needed to be alone.”
I listened as her footsteps became fainter as she headed toward my door.
“What are you doing here?” Cali asked. “How did you even get out?”
“Don't worry about that now,” I heard Tyran say. “I can hear what she is thinking, and I know what she wants to know. She is yelling inside of her head and all she wants to know is how she was able to get into this room.”
I was suddenly thankful for Tyran’s presence.
“How could you possibly know that?” Rebecca asked.
“I don't know, it is a connection that I have had with her over the last month. She is getting more frustrated because you are refusing to answer the question.”
“Sebastian heard you screaming and he ran and found you just as you had passed out,” Cali said.
I started to feel stronger now, and I thought I could talk for myself. I opened my mouth and said, “I am so tired.” It came out in a garbled phrase, but I was grateful Rebecca could decipher what I said.
“You have been through too much. Your body couldn’t take anymore. You need rest to recover.”
“Alright, she’s awake, I’m going to take you back to your room now Tyran,” I heard Mykel say. I hadn’t even realized that he had followed Tyran into the room. Tyran didn’t resist,
and I didn’t tell him I wanted him to stay. Although I was glad that he could tell Cali and Rebecca what I was trying to ask, I still felt a tremendous emptiness inside of me.
“Can you please leave me alone?” I asked.
“Uh…I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” Rebecca said.
“Please, I just want to sleep.”
“I am going to have Cali stay with you here. I will go and it will just be you two, but I don’t think you should be left alone right now.”
I could tell by the tone of her voice that she was afraid that I might do what my sister had done.
“If you need anything, just let me know,” Rebecca said to Cali.
“I will, thank you Rebecca.”
Cali came to lie next to me on my bed and said, “Jasmine, I am right here. I won’t leave your side . If there’s anything I can do I hope you will tell me.”
“Thank you,” I said.
I was so tired from lack of sleep, but I was afraid to let my dreams invade my mind. I was afraid that I might see Lilliana again. I lay in bed staring into space with Cali next to me. Eventually I started to hear Cali’s light snores. I felt strangely at peace listening to her breathing in and out. I allowed myself to close my eyes, listening and concentrating only on Cali. I tried not to think of anything that was on my mind. Eventually I drifted off to sleep. It was soon after that the dream began.
I was in the tunnels of the palace; Lilliana was hanging from the ceiling but there was more than one of her. It seemed like every step I took there was a new hanging body right in front of me. Someone was banging all around me and I heard Tyran screaming going through my mind saying “Let me out, let me out,” repeatedly. I was running, trying to get away from Tyran, trying to get away from Lilliana, but I couldn't get away. I didn't know my way around the tunnels at all. I ran faster and faster and eventually I saw a small white light in front of me and I thought it would lead to the way out.
When I finally made it to the end of the tunnel the white light seem to overtake me. Somehow, I knew that I was in heaven just after running away from my own personal hell. There were figures all around me but the white light almost blinded me and I couldn’t recognize them at first; their voices told me who they were. In front of me was my father reaching out to me to hug me.
He said, “Hello my beautiful little Jasmine.” He used to call me that when I was little. I was always his beautiful little Jasmine.
Lilliana smiled at me. She said, “I'm so sorry Jasmine. I'm so sorry I left you so soon after meeting you.”
Orion was on my right. He had a smile so serene on his face. “You're going to be just fine Jasmine. It may take some time to find the strength, but it is there, I promise you that.”
I really felt the need to speak, “Am I in heaven?”
Orion said, “No Jasmine, this is just a piece of heaven coming to you. We came to let you know that everything is going to be just fine. We all love you very much Jasmine. We’re always with you, looking over you. We see so much of what you have to do in Tamporlea. We all see that you are meant to stay there. I know that you're feeling like a failure. You are not a failure Jasmine, I promise you. You're doing very well after everything that’s happened. When you're at your worst I want you to remember that we're here looking over you. Try to find strength in that. Have comfort in that.”
My father spoke, “We must go Jasmine. I'm sorry we cannot stay longer. Just remember I will always be in your dreams in some way. We love you.”
I started to cry out just as the light no longer surrounded me but became smaller and smaller before disappearing altogether. I was petrified to turn around. I was afraid that Lilliana would still be hanging in front of my eyes. I had to find my way out of the tunnels, but I didn't know what way to turn or how far I had gone. As I turned around, I saw Tyran reaching out to me, “Come on Jasmine, I'll show you the way.”
I took his hand, and we started to walk down the tunnels. I did not see any more Lillianas hanging from the ceiling, and I felt perfectly comforted holding Tyran’s hand.
I woke up to see Cali sitting up staring at me with a worried look on her face. "Are you okay? You have been talking in your sleep. I didn't know if I should be wake you or not."
“Yes I am fine. I was just having a really strange dream.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“No, but do you think that you could use Orion’s spell on me so I can actually get a decent night's sleep?”
“Of course. That is not a problem at all.” She laid her hand on my forehead and I instantly felt at ease. It did not take me very long to fall back to sleep. This time it was a very peaceful sleep.
I did not wake until just before noon the next day. Cali told me that I could stay in bed all day if I wanted to. This was a very tempting offer. However, I knew the best thing for me to do was to get out of bed and address things that needed to be taken care of immediately.
I did take a very long shower and I tried to relax as much as possible on my own without the help of Orion’s spell. There were many things that I needed to talk about with the Heads, one of which was not only my sister’s funeral but also the mass funeral for those we had lost in the war. I decided to have Lilliana's funeral separate from those who died in the war. I wanted to make sure that anyone
who would come to Lilliana's funeral was there just for her. Not only that, but I didn’t want anyone to feel uncomfortable as if they should have to stay for her farewell. This led to me having to make the decision whether or not to tell Queen Aella about Lilliana's death. Lilliana had lived in Pyrencia her whole life; surely, she had friends and those who she viewed as family there. However, many people had betrayed her. I decided that I would keep her death to myself. Besides, it was too dangerous to invite anyone from Pyrencia to join us for a funeral. I wasn't confident that the Queen would remain peaceful during that time because she would probably blame us for Lilliana’s death. Cali agreed with my decision not to tell Queen about this information. I really didn't think Lilliana would actually want anyone from Pyrencia to be there anyway.
Another thing that I was thinking about was the book Orion told me to give to Tyran. The dream made me think about that. I had put it back into the safe next to my crown when I unpacked. I guess it was losing my sister that made me want to give the book to Tyran so he would have something by which to remember Orion. I wished I had given it to him sooner. I was not holding it from him on purpose. With everything that had happened, I simply forgot about it.
After I got out of my shower and dressed for the day, Cali was sitting on my couch waiting for me. I told her that I was okay given the circumstances. She offered to come with me to go see Tyran, but I told her that wasn't necessary. I may have imagined it, but I thought I saw a look of disappointment on her face.
I had her find all of the Heads and tell them we were having a meeting in the platinum room. She didn't ask what about and instead left without saying a word to me. I wondered if she was angry with me for something. I would have to discuss that with her at another time. There were more pressing matters to take care of at the moment.
After I brushed my hair and put it in a braid off to the side, I went to the platinum room to join the Heads. When I walked into the room, everybody went silent.
"Thank you for joining me this morning. As some of you may know by now Lilliana has died. I have decided not to tell Queen Aella about it, I think it would be too dangerous for her to come to our kingdom.”
“What if she finds out about it?” Mykel asked.
“I don't know how she would. We will of course have high security during all funerals.
“Jasmine I think we should talk about the mass funeral,” Cali reminded me.
“I have decided that having a mass funeral would not be ideal. I do not want to force anybody to sit through any funeral they do not want to. We will have separate funeral for each person. Lilliana's funeral will be the last. We will start the services tomorrow.”
“Queen Jasmine, everyone goes to every funeral. It is just a way of showing respect to not only those who died but to the families who mourn the deceased. There is not enough animosity among us people to warrant separate funerals.”
“Is that how all of you feel?”
Surprisingly everyone agreed. I still did not feel comfortable with that but if that was what everybody agreed to I should probably go along with it. Apparently, the bodies had already been prepared while Tyran and I were getting Lilliana. We decided together that the mass funeral would be held in two days time. I still decided to hold Lilliana’s funeral separately. No one should feel obligated to go to her funeral. I did not want anyone there for the wrong reasons.
After we had finished making plans, I went back to my quarters. I didn't realize that Cali was following me.
“Jasmine, may we speak for just a moment?”
“I really have something that I need to do. Can it wait just a while longer?”
“Oh yes, sure.”
“I promise I will find you after I talk to Tyran.”
“Okay,” she said disappointedly, as she headed toward her room.
I grabbed Orion’s book and went to Tyran’s room. I knocked on the door before letting myself in. Tyran was sitting on the couch.
“Queen Jasmine. How are you doing? I have been very worried about you.”
“I am okay. Do you mind if we speak for a moment?”
“Not at all. Please sit. Can I get you anything?”
“No, I am fine.”
“Have you made a decision about letting me out of here? Is that why you're here?”
“No Tyran. I have not even thought about that to be honest with you.”
“Oh,” he said, disappointed.
“Tyran I need to talk to you about Orion. When I spoke with him the day that he died, he told me that there was a book that was meant for you. I found the book, and I have it here with me. I did not read it so I don't know what he wrote. However, I am hoping that if there is any information there that would help me at all that you would pass it along.
“Of course I will. You may read it first if you would like to.”
“I was actually going to. I had it with us when we went to my mother's house. However, I realized that it is a journal of some type. I did not feel comfortable invading his personal information.”
I handed him the book and he took it in his hands. He was very surprised that Orion would leave him anything. I could tell he was anxious to read what was inside, so I left him so he could read it in private. I went to Cali's quarters as I told her I would. She had already brewed some tea for herself and offered me a cup, and we sat at her dining room table.
“What's going on? You are making me nervous,” I said.
“Jasmine, I must admit that I am feeling as though you regret having me as your assistant.”
“What? Why would you feel that way?”
“Because, you went to Lilliana about something you should have consulted me about. I know you feel as though you have reasons why you did that but I do not think that you should have.”
“I told you I needed to discuss it with someone who had no opinion on Tyran.”
“I know. It just seems as though you have been distancing yourself from me. I have had no idea what has been going on with you since you have arrived back to Tamporlea.”
“Cali, it has only been two days! I have not even had time to get a decent night's sleep until last night. I am sorry you feel as though you are being neglected, but I don't know what to tell you.”
“I should have known about everything that has been going on just about the same time as you. If you do not trust me or if you do not think I can fulfill my duties as your assistant I am asking you to please release me as your assistant now.”
“I don't want that at all. Is that what you want?”
“I don't want to work for someone who does not trust me. I do not want to be the assistant to the Queen in name only. If you want me to be your assistant let me be your assistant.”
“I am truly sorry Cali. I will make an honest effort to change my ways. Please understand that everything like this is so new to me. I am still learning. I didn't live here so I have no ideas as to how this is all really supposed to work.”
“Alright. I am sorry to accuse you of anything.”
“Well thank you for telling me how you have been feeling. I didn't realize how much I had been leaving you out. That was wrong of me.” I realized that even if I wanted to confide in Lilliana about certain things, I still should have been telling Cali what was going through my head.
“So,” she said nervously. “You don’t regret choosing me as your assistant?”
“Not at all Cali. There’s no one else I could imagine being by my side.”
“Then do you mind if I give you my honest opinion about something?”
“Not at all, go ahead.”
“I think you should let Tyran go.”
“What? Really?” That was not something that I was expecting her to say.
“Do you remember that first Sunday when you were able to see all of the people in Tamporlea relax?”
“Of course.”
“Well, you asked me what I would be doing if you weren’t with me that day.”
“I remember.”
/> “I told you I would be writing in my journal. It’s something I’ve done since I was a little girl. So, when you told me what Tyran had done, I went back and read what was going on in my life at the time. Tyran was in my journals a lot because, as you know, I had a raging crush on him. I think I can almost pinpoint the day that he joined the pact to destroy Tamporlea.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah. I was writing how his personality had completely changed and he wasn’t as nice as he usually was. I mean, he used to always say hello to everyone and would help people with
their work, even those who weren’t in his tier. Suddenly, everything just stopped and he kept to himself.”
“Okay, so how did this make you reach the conclusion that I should let him out?”
“I also read in my journals about how Orion chose Tyran as your Seer when your original Seer passed away. It was at this point that Tyran started to change. There was a little more hope in his eyes. The real turning point took place about four months after he became your Seer. I’ve never thought anything of it before, I just figured it was a result of being given such a high responsibility. However, when I think about what’s in your book in the Sacred Space, it just so happens that Tyran started to really change around the same day that you and your high school boyfriend broke up.”
“I didn’t realize that your crush on him was so recent,” I said.
“Oh, no. I stopped having a crush on him shortly before his change for the worse. I just kept writing about him because he was still probably the most intriguing person in the palace.
My journal is filled with many observations on the people of the kingdom. My life was pretty boring before you asked me to be your assistant. So when I couldn't think of anything to write, I would write about other people in the kingdom.”
“So do you really think that his personality changed just because I broke up with my boyfriend?”
“It certainly seems that way.”
“I just really don't know what to do. Part of me wants to let him out but I am so afraid that is the wrong decision. Would I only be doing that because of my feelings for him?”
“Well, I really think you should put a lot of thought into it before you make any final decisions on his fate.”
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