Unjust

by Tiffany Lovering

  Chapter 12

  Angel

  Clementine woke me up early in the morning with little puppy kisses and whines. I had forgotten how much having a puppy was like having an infant. I rolled out of bed, put on my jeans and t-shirt to take her out. I considered finding Sebastian to come with me, but it was four in the morning and I figured it was just a quick walk. I did grab my pager on the way out remembering the last time I had left it behind.

  Clementine ran ahead of me down the incline. I didn’t bother walking around the palace to the open field. I just let her run off and watched her closely in case I had to catch her to bring her back in. She only went about ten feet away from me where the light faded to black. When I opened the door a few minutes later, Sebastian was standing behind it.

  “Oh my God, you scared the heck out of me!” I said trying to catch my breath as Clementine ran past us and up the incline.

  “I’m sorry. I came to find you and you weren’t in your room, so I figured you had to be out here with Clem. I’m glad you didn’t go around the palace.”

  “What’s going on?” I asked urgently as we followed Clementine.

  Tyran said, “Runner Simon. He took off about ten minutes ago. The Guards are on their way out. Can I?”

  “Yes, go!” I urged.

  Sebastian turned to follow Tyran but I stopped him. “I still need someone in the palace, and I need someone to tell me what’s going on,” I explained. “Please go wake up Cali and meet me back in my room.”

  Sebastian nodded and ran to her room as I watched Tyran and a few other Guards leave through the tunnels. I left the door open as I waited impatiently on the couch for them to return. Cali was in pajamas when she returned with Sebastian.

  “What happened?” I asked before they even sat down.

  “I overheard Simon arguing with someone and when I opened the door to see what was going on, he was already through the doors of the tunnels. I considered following him, but there would be no telling which way he went. So I went to find Mykel but had no idea where he was, so I found Tyran and we woke up the rest of the Guards. They all took off while Tyran and I came looking for you.”

  “I bet it was him,” I said.

  “What do you mean?” Cali asked.

  “The one who told Aella, I bet it was Simon.”

  “Oh, yeah, I didn’t even think about that. He did go with the other Runners yesterday and nobody would question him going off on his own.”

  “I’m confused,” Sebastian admitted.

  Cali and I filled him in on what happened with Queen Aella and I could see that he was trying to piece together why Simon would suddenly go on Pyrencia’s side of things. It didn’t make sense to me either because Simon seemed to be completely against anything that had to do with Queen Aella and Pyrencia. The three of us sat there for a few minutes going through different ideas in our mind, and Sebastian was the first to voice his hypothesis.

  “Simon lost his best friend in the battle. Maybe he’s not on Pyrencia’s side so much as he’s angry with the people of Tamporlea.”

  “Do you know where he would go?” I asked.

  “No idea. Maybe Pyrencia?”

  “Queen Aella probably promised him a place to stay if he left Tamporlea,” Cali said.

  “She’ll probably try getting more information from him as well.”

  “This is probably the worst situation that we can think of,” Cali said. “Simon was a Head, so he knows everything that was going on within Tamporlea.”

  “Maybe it’s time that we start implementing some changes, especially to our defense plan,” I suggested.

  “Do you think Queen Aella is going to attack?” Sebastian asked.

  “I’ve said since day one that I think it’s just a matter of time before Aella attacks again. She’s not going to give up on this mission of hers.”

  “Maybe we should have discussed a peace treaty while we had the chance,” Cali said.

  “It wouldn’t stop her. I honestly think the only reason she mentioned it in that meeting was because she wanted a way to prevent us from attacking them and they would create a loophole to still be able to attack us.”

  “Your Highness, have you considered attacking them?” Sebastian asked.

  “I have thought about it, but I’d rather not do it. There’s no guarantee it would accomplish anything.”

  “Now would be the perfect time,” Cali pointed out. “Aella said that they’ve lost a number of people which would have to mean that they are growing weaker. I bet that they have people abandoning their kingdom just like we do.”

  “You have a good point. I am just afraid of losing more people. If I feel like there is a serious threat of Pyrencia attacking, I will strongly consider our own attack. I think we’ve got some time to think about it though.”

  “Who do we have out trying to find Simon?” Cali asked.

  “All of the Guards except Mykel and I, and Tyran sent Rebecca as well, just in case they meet anyone from Pyrencia along the way.”

  “How long was it between Simon leaving and the Guards setting out to find him?”

  “Maybe ten minutes,” Sebastian said.

  “That’s pretty fast,” Cali said.

  “I disagree,” I said. They both gave me a look of shock. “As I pointed out to you before, Cali, if Sebastian didn’t have to go knocking on doors, they would have been on Simon’s trail in less than five minutes.”

  “You’re right,” Cali said. “Every minute does count I suppose.”

  “So with Simon gone, who would be the next in line to be Head Runner?” I asked.

  “That would be Eddie,” Cali said.

  “Alright. Well, let’s try and get a few hours of sleep. We’ll have a meeting first thing in the morning, say eight o’clock?”

  Sebastian laughed and said, “That’s first thing in the morning to you?”

  “Back home I would rarely roll out of bed before ten if it wasn’t a school day. You make a good point though, I want the meeting before we start the clean-up for the day. Let’s say 6:30.”

  I didn’t bother going to sleep. There was a strong possibility I would not wake up after only a couple hours of sleep. Instead I made coffee and played with Clementine. Out of curiosity, I turned the television onto G-News. I hadn’t even looked at the channel since they ran their ridiculous story on me before I became Queen. There wasn’t anything interesting being broadcast so I popped in a DVD that I hadn’t watched in years.

  When Clem fell asleep and the DVD stopped holding my interest, I took a shower and went down to the hospital wing. Angel was awake, holding her little girl, whilst Mykel slept in a chair next to them.

  “Good morning Your Highness.”

  “Good morning Angel. How are you doing?” I asked as I sat in a chair next to her bed.

  “I’m great, and little Mya is good as well.”

  “She’s really beautiful,” I said leaning closer to get a better look. She had dark hair and bright turquoise eyes like Tyran.

  “Would you like to hold her?”

  “I don’t know, I’ve never held a baby before.”

  “It’s easy, here.” Angel said. She placed Mya in my arms and made sure that I was supporting her head enough. She was so tiny and so beautiful, a real angel.

  “She’s so precious,” I said.

  “She’s got Tyran’s eyes, do you see that?”

  “I noticed that. I love her name too. Is there a special meaning behind it? I mean Holly, that’s obviously after the Queen, but what about Mya?”

  “Mykel and I just really liked it.”

  “Angel, I was wondering, have you and Tyran talked lately?” I asked thinking of Orion.

  “I’ve known all my life.”

  “What? Then how come Tyran just found out.”

  “Do you know much about my power?” she asked.

  “Just the basics really. I know you can read people’s thoughts and you can also do a bit of what Tyran can do but on a smaller sca
le.”

  “And from what I understand, my brother can read your thoughts at times. So he does the same as me on a smaller scale. I grew up hearing Orion’s thoughts when he would look at me and Tyran.”

  “You never told Tyran?”

  “No. I waited a long time before confronting Orion because I couldn’t believe that it was true. When I finally got the courage, Orion asked me not to tell Tyran because he was going to be the next Head Guard and it would just cause a lot of problems for him and for Orion too. I knew he was right and I didn’t want to cause any problems for my brother so I kept it to myself. I didn’t even confront my mother.”

  “Why didn’t you confront your mother to begin with?”

  “Tyran and I had asked her about our father several times and she has always kept to the story of our father being a man from the real world. She wouldn’t tell us anything so I had no choice but to ask Orion.”

  “Well, that explains why the book was left to just Tyran and not you as well.”

  “Yes, Orion and I had several conversations while he was still alive. “

  “It must have been really hard for you to keep that from Tyran,” I said.

  “It was but I also knew it was the right thing. Tyran always kind of butt heads with Orion. Anyways, when Tyran came to tell me about this, I tried to pretend like it was a total shock to me, but I think he knew.”

  “But he didn’t ask?”

  “No, I don’t think he wants to feel like he was out of the loop for so many years. You know what I mean?”

  Mykel started to stir in his seat so Angel and I stopped talking and watched as he slowly became conscious and noticed that I was in the room.

  “Queen Jasmine! I’m so sorry; Angel you should have woke me.”

  “Don’t be silly,” I said. “Angel and I were just having a nice conversation while you snored in the corner.”

  “Oh no!” he said embarrassed.

  “I’m kidding. Do you want her?” I asked ready to hand over Mya.

  “That’s okay, she looks quite comfortable in your arms.”

  “I have to tell you something,” I said.

  “In private or…”

  “No, this is fine and everyone will know soon enough.” I went on to tell him about Runner Simon and the fact that all of his Guards were gone besides Sebastian. “We’re actually having a meeting in about twenty minutes.”

  “Someone should have woken me up,” he said frustrated.

  “No, you and your wife just had a baby, the Guards can handle it without you,” I said.

  “I can’t believe Simon would just take off. What the hell is wrong with that man?”

  “I couldn’t tell you. I’m sorry, but I must get going to the meeting,” I said as I handed the sleeping baby over to Mykel.

  “I’ll be up in a few minutes,” Mykel said.

  “We won’t start without you. Angel, I’ll be back to visit very soon.”

  “Well, I’ll be out of here later today so you’ll see Mya and I out on the grounds soon enough.”

  In the meeting, Cali and I filled in everyone on what was going on with Simon and we all came to the conclusion that Sebastian’s theory was probably right. Mykel said that the Guard would probably split up in the tunnels to see which way Simon went. Everyone figured he probably headed toward Pyrencia. I just hoped the Guards would find him before he made it there. Mykel was confident that they would get him if that was where he was headed.

  After the meeting Kelly spent some time with Eddie to explain his responsibilities as the new Head Runner. Eddie was the youngest Head, only sixteen years old. Kelly told me that this was because once someone reached a certain age they were no longer eligible to become a Head.

  As Kelly was with Eddie I went out to the ground to join the rest of the people. The excitement had died down a little since yesterday but I was sure that was because of the rumor of Simon leaving. For the most part everyone was still playing games and singing along as they worked.

  Around lunchtime Mykel went to get Angel and Mya; they came back out and everybody was so excited about meeting the new baby. Maybe with a new baby and a little puppy around to distract everyone, it seemed as though the rumors had died down and people cared more about the more exciting things. Nobody wanted to dwell on the internet plans today. I was grateful for that.

  By the time we all ate dinner the guards had made it back to the palace. Tyran immediately pulled me aside and let me know that they ended up having to kill Simon. Apparently he put up quite a struggle when he was caught outside Pyrencia's walls. The death was accidental but necessary according to Tyran. I was glad that there was no other trouble along the way and that Simon hadn’t made it all the way to Pyrencia before being caught, but it was still a shame to lose another person from our kingdom.

  The clean-up was almost done and soon the Commoners and Enchanters could work on replanting the crops and flowers that were destroyed. They still were not sure it was possible but they were excited to at least try. They said that if the land was damaged beyond repair, they could clear the trees on the west side of the mountain and start from scratch. I didn’t like that idea much, so I told them it would be a last resort.

  When I made it back to my room, I said goodnight to Sebastian who was looking a little down. I asked him what was bothering him, but he said it was nothing.

  “Hey,” I said. “I always use your shoulder, you know mine is open for you if needed.”

  “Can I ask you for a favor?” he asked hesitantly. “I need next weekend off.”

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “I just need to be by myself next weekend,” he said.

  “Will you be leaving Tamporlea?”

  “No, I’ll probably just be spending the weekend in my room.”

  “Sebastian, what’s going on?”

  “Next weekend is the anniversary of my father’s death. I usually just kind of spend it moping around. I mean, if you really need me, I understand.”

  “No, take as much time as you need Sebastian. It’s really okay, and if you need to talk, I’m here.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Alright, you have a good night and I will see you in the morning.”

  When I went inside and closed the door behind me, I just planned on watching a movie or reading a book before bed. As I was going through the DVDs, Cali came up in the elevator and I raced over to her.

  “What is it?” I asked urgently. “I didn’t hear anything over the pager, is something wrong?”

  “Nothing is wrong, I just wanted to talk to you about something.”

  “Oh, okay,” I said. “What’s up?”

  “Can we sit?”

  “Sure.”

  As we sat on the couch, she turned to me and said, “Before you became Queen, you made a promise to me. I know a lot has happened since then but I thought I’d still ask.”

  “Cali, what is it? I don’t remember the promise.”

  “You promised that we would go to the morning lift-off at the balloon festival.”

  “Oh!” I said remembering the conversation. “When is it?”

  “Next weekend.”

  “Seriously? I didn’t realize so much time has gone by since I first arrived to Tamporlea. I don’t know if it’s a good idea that we just take off.”

  “It’s usually a kingdom outing. We all go and have a good time together. I don’t think anyone is expecting to go this year, but I thought I would ask.”

  “Does everyone go? Does that mean the kingdom is empty?”

  “Most everyone goes, but there are some that stay here. Waking up early isn’t for everyone.”

  “Ha! See, I’m not the only one who enjoys sleep. Well, I don’t want to bring everyone down when things are starting to get better. I think it would be a good idea to go.”

  “Really?” She asked excitedly. “I thought for sure you would say no.”

  “Well, I’m not completely confident it’s a good idea but we can’t b
e trapped inside the kingdom forever. We’ll tell everyone tomorrow.”

  “I’m so excited!”

  “I am too! It’s going to be fun,” I said. “Oh shoot! I told Sebastian he could have next weekend off and for a good reason too.”

  “Well there’s always Tyran,” she said as she gave me a wink.

  “That’s true.”

  “There’s something else.”

  “Okay, what else?”

  “Storm knows that I have feelings for him and we’ve sort of been spending some time together.”

  “I don’t know whether to be excited or worried. I don’t want you to get hurt but I don’t want you to not experience this either. I don’t know what to do.”

  “Jasmine, I know you might think I’m being selfish, but I’m thinking of you too. I really think it’s about time to change that law.”

  “You know, maybe you’re right, but I still think it’s too soon after the war to be thinking of us. Plus, for me, a lot more thought would have to go into changing the law. I mean what about my children? If I marry someone I love, I obviously just can’t send them off to the real world after a year. We’d basically be changing the whole Queen dynamic.”

  “What’s wrong with that? Nothing about you being Queen has been ordinary.”

  “That’s true. I’ll think about it okay? For now, I’m not telling you not to see Storm, but let’s just keep it between us until I make a decision.”

  “I will, and thank you for not being angry with me.”

  “I’d be a hypocrite if I was angry with you.”

  “Will you tell me what’s going on with you and Sebastian and Tyran?”

  “There’s nothing to tell. I’m still just friends with Sebastian and nothing has happened between Tyran and me since I set him free.”

  “But how are you feeling about them?”

  “There’s something there with Sebastian. I have to admit that I do care quite a bit for him, but I don’t know if I would say that I want to be romantic with him. It’s kind of confusing right now. With Tyran, it’s even more confusing because I do love him, but I don’t want to love him.”

  “Well, I hope you figure something out soon or you’re going to drive yourself crazy.”