by S. M. Boyce
Victoria, however, looked panicked.
“What's going on?" Audrey asked.
“We have to get out of here,” Victoria said.
“Why?”
“Diesel and I overheard some dark stuff, Audrey. Our lives are in danger, and we need to go. We need to leave now.”
Audrey opened her mouth to speak, concern burning through her at the thought of her friends’ lives being in danger. Her instinct was to trust Victoria, since she knew without a doubt that Victoria always told the truth.
But the voice deep in her core disagreed.
She's jealous.
She wants what you have.
She’s a threat to everything you’ve built here.
And the voice was loud.
Torn, Audrey fiddled with the crystal in her pocket, and the more she touched it, the more her initial instinct to trust Victoria faded. It was like something took her over, and she believed without a doubt that Victoria was simply wrong.
“I think you made a mistake,” Audrey said calmly.
Victoria's face scrunched in confusion. “Diesel heard them talking, Audrey. They want to manipulate you. They’re trying to control you.”
Audrey shook her head, biting her tongue even as a wave of resentment swamped her. “You didn't hear it for yourself?”
“Well, no. I don't know Latin, or whatever they speak here,” Victoria said.
Audrey crossed her arms. “And it never once occurred to you that perhaps you shouldn’t make assumptions when you yourself didn't hear what happened?”
“Audrey, I'm serious. This is real, and you're in danger. We all are. We have to get out of here.”
Yet again, the instinct to trust Victoria blipped to life in Audrey's chest. She took a step back, trying to make sense of the warring emotions in her body, but in the end her inner voice won the battle. It was as though something came over her, something uncontrollable, and Audrey snapped. “Or maybe you're just tired of not having your own Royal Suite. Maybe you're tired of them mistaking you for a servant. I'm sorry they don’t treat you with respect, Victoria, but maybe this isn’t about me or Cato or the king. Maybe you're tired of me having the time of my life.”
“Audrey, what—”
“You said it yourself that you don't like being here! And yet here I am, finally finding my roots. Finally discovering who I am and what I can do and why I’m powerful, and you want to leave? You want to take that away from me?”
“I'm trying to save you!”
“No, you're just tired of playing second fiddle to me! You think they're treating you like a second-class citizen, Victoria, but that's how I feel every day. No one sees me. No one acknowledges me. No one says anything about what I do to help you. You're the hero, Victoria, and I'm the sidekick. Maybe I don't want to be the sidekick anymore!”
Victoria pointed a finger at Audrey as she closed the gap between them. “You’re not a sidekick, Audrey, and you know it.”
“Aren’t I? I’m ignored back in Fairhaven, but here I'm treated like royalty. Why would I ever leave?”
Victoria's mouth dropped open and she didn't say anything. Neither of them moved for several moments and Audrey's shoulders ached from tension, but she swore to herself she wouldn't back down. She had said what she had never felt safe to say, but now they had emptied their purses on the floor.
Time to see what Victoria would do.
“Fyrn was right,” Victoria said softly. With that, she left. The door clicked shut behind her, and the room became painfully silent.
Audrey backed up slowly until she hit a wall, but she still couldn't quite process what she had just said. She almost couldn't remember it, like it had come from someone else. She tugged on the ends of her silky dark hair, baffled by what was going on and simultaneously not wanting to challenge it.
After all, she had a home here.
The impulsive anger faded, replaced by comfort and calm. It felt as though everything were suddenly fine. The memory of her fight with Victoria began to blur, and she couldn’t remember anything that had been said. Victoria had been upset—that was all she could recall.
“No,” she said, pacing the room. “I want to remember.”
Everything is fine, the voice in her core said.
“No it's not!" she said loudly.
Everything is fine, the voice repeated.
Audrey shook her head, still pacing in circles. This wasn’t right. It wasn’t fine. Panic and guilt blurred until she couldn't tell one from the other, and she knew she had to find Victoria. They needed to make this right. Something was happening to Audrey, and she could finally see it. She could finally feel it, and she didn't like it one bit—whatever "it" was. Something was happening to her, and it was more than just her skin shimmering and the silky sheen of her hair. There were other changes going on within her, and those changes would be the death of her if she wasn't careful.
Something clicked for her, and she stopped dead in her tracks.
She and Victoria didn't just need to make things right. They needed to leave.
EVERYTHING IS FINE! the voice shouted within her.
The voice within her was so loud it took her to her knees. The overwhelming sensation of anger was like invisible hands pushing on her shoulders, trying to pin her to the floor. She fought it, tears burning in her eyes, but her very core shook with fear. Audrey reached out to balance herself, but her palms slid on the polished white marble. Her long dark hair fell onto the cold floor, and she heaved as she tried to catch her breath.
EVERYTHING IS FINE!
The words were a deafening roar both in her ears and in her body. They consumed her, controlled her, taking over every ounce of her willpower and sense of self. They weren’t comforting or soothing anymore. Whatever this voice was, it was assaulting her. She had to fight.
And she was losing.
EVERYTHING IS FINE!
Within Audrey, something clicked back into place. It was as though a thought pattern had been corrected, or puzzle pieces had been put in the proper order. She stilled, her heart slowing as she tried to remember what she had been so upset about.
It was all fuzzy.
She held her hand to her head and leaned her back against the wall, staring at the ceiling as she tried to make sense of the last few minutes.
She couldn't.
She stood, and suddenly the only thing she could remember was that the king wanted to have dinner with her tonight. Enough nonsense…it was time to get ready. She toyed with the brain in hair, but a worrying sensation pulled on the back of her mind. Something was wrong, but for the life of her she couldn't figure out what.
“How strange,” she said softly, the words eerily familiar. She didn't like the sense of déjà vu that came with them, and she wondered what would happen if she ignored the sensation.
***
At dinner, Audrey found it difficult to eat. She found herself poking at the food with her fork.
“Are you all right, dear?" the queen asked from her seat across the glass table.
Audrey nodded and did her best to smile, but it didn't last long. “I'm fine, thank you. I appreciate you having me for dinner.”
The king smiled from where he sat at the head of the table. “I'm sure you're wondering what we want to tell you.”
“I'll confess an interest,” Audrey said with a chuckle.
The king stood, meat and potatoes still on his plate, and gestured for her to come. She and the queen followed him toward a tapestry behind the table, and he lifted it to reveal a door. It swung inward as they approached, and he led them down a long staircase.
On either side of the stairs were mountains of gold, mainly coins, but also the occasional string of pearls or gemstones. They glittered in the light from the wall sconces, but the king barely seemed to notice them. He led Audrey and the queen toward the bottom of the stairs, where a pedestal awaited them. On the pedestal lay a royal-blue silk pillow with a silver tiara nestled on it, a glimmering clear cryst
al embedded in its tallest point.
“We wish to invite you to join the royal family and to be my heir,” the king said, lifting the tiara and offering it to her.
Audrey couldn't speak at first. She merely reached out with her finger and touched the top of the crown. It radiated power. “This is more than a headpiece, isn't it?”
The king nodded. “You're quite right. This is an Atlantean Artifact, and it will give you the ability to shift into whatever form you want. All you have to do is stay here in Atlantis, and the crown and monarchy are yours.”
The voice in Audrey's core spoke for her before Audrey even had a chance to process the offer. “Of course. Nothing would make me happier.”
Don’t, a tiny voice said in the back of her head. Her smile faltered, and she bit her lip with worry.
What the hell was happening to her?
Chapter 24
Victoria sat by a pool of water, staring at the koi as they swam in the crystal-clear depths. Even they didn't want anything to do with her, and sticking her hand in just chased them away.
Little bastards.
Audrey had never spoken to Victoria like that, and she had seemed genuinely upset. Angry. The sidekick comment had wounded Victoria the most. She hated the thought of her friend feeling like she had been playing second fiddle. Audrey had so much potential, so much grace and power. Victoria couldn't imagine life without her best friend. They had always been there for each other, always had each other's backs.
The thought of leaving Audrey broke her heart.
Victoria frowned, a fresh wave of determination crashing over her. She wouldn’t leave Audrey. She couldn't. This was the mind control talking. Apparently it had gotten worse than she or Diesel had suspected. Either the general had control of Audrey, or her Atlantean half had taken over.
This wasn't the Audrey Victoria knew and loved.
Victoria stood, determination on her face as she scanned the castle’s windows. She would save Audrey from whatever was happening to her, and that meant getting Audrey out of the castle as soon as humanly possible.
Even if it meant dragging her out.
***
Victoria threw open the door to the room she shared with Diesel. He was stuffing objects into his and Victoria's backpacks, and he paused as she entered. She squared her shoulders. “Diesel, we're leaving. Are you ready?”
“Where's Audrey?”
“We’re going to go get her.”
Diesel flashed one of his charming grins. “How lovely, darling. A couple’s adventure to rescue a friend.”
Victoria pinched the bridge of her nose, but ultimately chose to ignore him. “Is everything packed?”
He nodded. “I managed to get us about five Atlantean Artifacts each and hide them in various layers of clothing, so unless we get frisked we should be fine.”
“They might look closely.”
“Well, let's not give them a reason to,” he said with a wink.
“A reason to do what?" a man asked from the door.
Victoria spun around. She hadn't even heard the squeaky door open, and yet it stood ajar. The general leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, and watched them suspiciously, as though he had caught them red-handed.
Well, he kind of had. Shit.
The general pushed off the doorframe and walked toward them with Styx in one hand. The tiny pixie struggled to break free.
Double shit.
“Let him go.” Victoria tensed, ready to fight if she had to. Beside her, Diesel tightened his grip on his staff.
The general lazily looked between them, as though they were no threat to him. “I'm not sure how you found it, but our vault contains every known Artifact that has not been given to an Atlantean. All of ours are accounted for, unlike that fool Rhazdon. He let his power disappear into the wind, and that was why he failed. We don't give them to the common folk, as he did.”
The general looked Victoria up and down, and her heart skipped a beat.
He knew. She didn’t know how, but he knew what she was.
The element of surprise gone, she summoned her sword and attacked. He released Styx and parried, and the two of them dodged and ducked each other's blows in the small room. She threw a blast of energy at the general's head, but he rolled out of the way at the last second and took Victoria down with him. He aimed a punch at her head, but she ducked out of range and his fist broke the stone floor instead. Instead of screaming with pain and nursing broken knuckles, he didn't flinch. He cocked his arm to throw another blow, but she pinned his knee and flipped him over her head. He landed hard on his back.
With a smirk Diesel aimed his staff at the general, the tip burning red, but a blast of energy from the door knocked him onto his back. Suddenly the room was filled with bursts of white light, and Victoria summoned her shield instead of the sword to block them. She ran toward Diesel to give him cover, and he huddled behind the shield with her as he regained his breath. Styx dove toward them and nestled in Victoria’s hair.
The general had brought an army, and Victoria didn’t have the high ground.
With her free hand, she poked Styx in the belly. “Boop, buddy! You were supposed to boop me on the nose!”
He rambled incoherently, squeaking some defense Victoria couldn’t understand.
“It’s fine. It’s fine, buddy. Stay out of reach, and follow closely if we get caught. We may need you to pick some locks.”
He saluted and clicked his heels together before darting into the air.
“Well, damn! That hurt,” Diesel said, his voice catching as he held his chest. “I shouldn’t have played with my food. I didn’t realize he had backup.”
Blast after blast ricocheted off Victoria’s shield, each magical blow shooting pins and needles up her arm. She grimaced, trying her best to take the hits, but the shield was too heavy. She’d had to summon a massive one to cover them both, and the weight was taking its toll on her. It kept leaning away from her, and she gritted her teeth as she tried to keep it steady. She wouldn’t be able to hold it much longer.
Fuck, how she wished she was stronger.
“Looks grim,” Shiloh said out of nowhere.
Victoria and Diesel yelped in unison as the ghost appeared out of thin air. He lounged nearby, the occasional bolt of energy sailing through him and singeing the wall.
Diesel’s eyes widened with excitement. “Is that the ghost of your Rhazdon Artifact? How fascinating! I have so many questions—”
Victoria interrupted him, grateful for the first time to see her ghost. “Shiloh! Thank goodness. How many of them are there? What’s the weapon count? Can we—”
The ghost interrupted her with a massive yawn. He stretched and laid down on the ground as though she hadn’t said anything.
“Shiloh!”
“Do you think you’ll die?” Shiloh asked, studying his nails as he lounged on the dirty floor.
“Not if you help!”
He peered at something in front of her shield. “Nah.”
“Shiloh! Damn it!”
As quickly as he had appeared the ghost dissolved into the air. Victoria screamed with frustration.
The blows stopped, and a second later someone kicked her shield hard. The sheer force of it threw her against the wall, knocking her head against the stone. Her vision blurred, and the shield disappeared. She fell to the floor, back sliding down the wall. Everything became fuzzy. She knew her name was Victoria, and she was…she was…
Shit, she was something. It was on the tip of her tongue.
Blurry silhouettes shouted and danced in her vision, but she couldn't tell what was going on.
Diesel cussed, and a few bursts of light filled the room. Whatever he was doing, it caused a light show. In her delirious state, Victoria smiled a bit at the brilliant sight. “Shiny.”
Someone grabbed her by her neck. It hurt. She gasped for breath and grabbed the massive hand, but her assailant lifted her off the floor. Her head throbbed more painfully now, and
she could feel herself slipping toward the darkness. Any second now, she would pass out.
Any second could be her last.
***
For a moment Audrey could only stare at the scene before her.
She had come to inform Victoria that she was staying, her feet carrying her as though something else were controlling her every step, but she had stopped in her tracks when she saw the army congregated outside Victoria's bedroom.
A gap appeared in the army of Atlantean soldiers, and General Cato walked through. He held Victoria by her neck, her feet dangling in the air as she gasped for breath.
He sneered as he studied his prize, and something within Audrey snapped.
Time slowed, and a rush of memories burned through Audrey's mind. She thought of punching Andy Jones during recess in the third grade because Andy had been picking on Victoria. She remembered their kickboxing classes together, and all the times Victoria had tried to get her to go out for dance or acting or any of the other stupid things that Audrey had no interest in doing but at which Victoria excelled. She thought of all the car trips, all the near-misses in traffic.
But most importantly, Audrey thought of Victoria's parents dying, of the way Audrey had been the only one Victoria would speak to after her life had imploded. She remembered discovering Victoria's powers in the treehouse, and traveling with her to Fairhaven. She remembered Victoria's squelching feet as she walked through the gas station after destroying a sink with a power she didn't understand.
She remembered Victoria.
Audrey staggered as her thoughts cleared. The voice in her core tried to speak, but her newfound clarity silenced it almost instantly.
What the fuck had she been doing? She had nearly let strangers adopt her and shove some magical crown on her head.
Fuck that. Whatever they were doing to her here, Audrey had been inches away from becoming a mindless drone.
And just like that, it clicked for her: that voice in her core was her Atlantean nature, which had fueled an instinctive drive to stay with her people and find purpose. To find community.
But she already had all the community she needed.
“Put her down at once,” Audrey said, pointing to the floor for emphasis.