No Such Luck

by Weist, Jaclyn

  “It’s nothing. That’s just Cam. It surprised me to see him again.” I ran my fingers through my hair, messing up what Nessa had done. The look on Jared’s face told me I needed to explain more. “When I was being drowned by the hands of a mermaid, and Eoin went to go find someone to help. He brought Cam, and it just caught me off guard when I saw him.”

  “And nothing happened between you?”

  “What? Of course not. Not him.” I knew after I said it that it was the wrong thing to say.

  Jared took a step back. “Was there someone else? Ethan?”

  I rubbed my forehead. “No. Not him either. We were in Germany, and Jakob lunged forward to kiss me. He left right after, but he said something about meeting the future queen.”

  “So, is that why he tried to save you? I figured it was just because you’re you. I didn’t realize it was because you had history.” He reached for the door, but I grabbed his arm.

  “It’s not like that. I told you he left. I didn’t like him at all. I wanted you. I’ve always wanted you.” I couldn’t help the tear that escaped any more than the anger that had flared up that he wouldn’t trust me. Or was it anger at myself for even having to be questioned?

  Jared brushed the tear away and pulled me close. “Hey. It’s okay. I shouldn’t have said anything, but the way you stared . . . I’m sorry.”

  I looked up into his blue eyes. He was being a lot better about it than I’d expected. But then, he’s Jared. I kissed him and pulled back. “Don’t be sorry. You had a right to know. We should probably get back, though. They’ve got to be wondering where we are.”

  “Listen, I wanted to know what was going on, but there was something else I needed to tell you. Louie appeared between Adam and me, and he said the Atlantians aren’t just here to check on the royalty. They’re here for an old relic that they believe is in danger.” He leaned closer. “Do you know what this means?”

  My mind went back to the ring in the cave. The one we’d been worried O’Malley would steal. I nodded my understanding. “We need to get to it first.”

  “The problem is that we have to be at every event. But I still don’t trust Louie or Ethan to get it.” He let go of me and paced between me and the large map of the fairy world.

  “We might just have to wait until tonight and go then. I’m not sure there are other options.” I sat down in the nearest chair and buried my head in my hands. I needed to think. No one could take my place. I was the only one with gold hair. Beth had already been seen. so she couldn’t go.

  Jared knelt down in front of me. “You’re the fairy queen. Isn’t there something you could do? Have you even tried to transport yourself somewhere yet?”

  “No. Mine isn’t like real magic. It’s more like luck.”

  “Are you sure there’s not another kind of magic in you? I mean, you made a bunch of fireballs when you first got the magic. You couldn’t do that before, right? And you healed me, which you also couldn’t do.” His eyes sparked with excitement. “If we could just disappear long enough to get the relic and then get back here—” He stopped when he heard the knock on the door.

  I stood and cautiously opened it, wondering who it could be. Everyone should have been at the events. Eoin stood there, wringing his hands together.

  “Hey, what’s up?” I opened the door wider, but he just stood there.

  “You need to get back out to the field. People have noticed that you’re gone, and there’s talk that you put everything together so you could steal the relic yourself.”

  I stared at him in shock. “So, wait. How many people know about this . . . relic?”

  “Everyone. Well, kind of. It’s been a legend for centuries.” He looked down the hallway and gulped. “Come on. Let’s walk back to the arena, and I’ll explain.”

  Jared shut the door behind us and took my hand as we walked along with Eoin. “Okay, so talk. Do they know what this relic is?”

  Eoin shook his head. “Some say it’s a ring. Others say it’s a staff. I just know from overhearing people talk that whoever has it will rule the world. Pretty much. If the wrong person wields it, bad things will happen. You know that whole sword-in-the-stone thing? It’s kind of like that. Only the right person can use it. If you look around, the only people who are here from each group are the most honorable people of their species. Even the Atlantians pulled that, but then, most of them are good anyway.”

  “Colin told me they were here to check up on me. Why would he lie? He’s just a kid.”

  “He probably didn’t. Most likely, that’s all he was told. There’s a reason why the main guards are only fourteen. They were picked specifically so they could be overtaken as soon as the relic was claimed. Now, hurry to your thrones. And don’t let on that you know anything. It could mean your life … and the death of your world.”

  I leaned down so I was face-to-face with him. “How do you know all this? You’re so young, and yet you know more about what’s going on than anyone else here. Except maybe Ethan or your dad.”

  Eoin’s face turned beet red. “No one pays attention to the leprechauns. They’re careful not to mention gold around us, but otherwise, they just talk as if we’re not there listening.”

  I watched as he disappeared, then I continued on to my throne. As much as I despised most leprechauns because of what they’d done to me, it broke my heart that Eoin had to deal with this. It wasn’t fair.

  Colin smiled up at me as I sat. “There you are. You missed most of the discus event.”

  “Yeah, we had a few things to talk about. Who won the javelin match?” I smiled and waved at a group of elves that stared at me as they walked past. Their glares were quickly erased as they nodded and continued on.

  “Cam did. He’ll probably win the discus as well.”

  I watched as one of the dwarves got into position. His short legs put him at a disadvantage as he wound up and let the discus fly. It went farther than I’d expected, but landed short from where the other’s discs lay on the ground. The other dwarves cheered loudly, and he looked proud as he ran off the field.

  Next came several Atlantians in a row, including Exander, who’d been sitting with Colin. He did really well, and went back over with the other competitors. His had gone far enough to be in the top ten.

  “So, are you competing in anything?” I asked Colin.

  He smiled and shook his head. “Unless baseball is one of the events, I’m staying out.”

  Jared leaned around me. “You play baseball?”

  “Jared was on our school’s baseball team for all four years. Maybe we’ll have to organize a game when this is all over.”

  Colin’s eyes lit up. “That would be great. I taught my friends how to play, but it’s just not the same. They don’t get what the excitement is.”

  “Hey, I love baseball.” Alleya slugged him in the shoulder. “I even hit a homerun in the last game.”

  “Oh. Right. Alleya loves it too. But she’s not like most Atlantians anyway.” He rubbed his shoulder.

  Another cheer broke out on the field, interrupting our conversation. Cam ran off, waving. The next contestant took his place and stretched before getting into position. I turned to say something to Colin just as the crowd gasped, and I heard, “Look out!”

  I had just enough time to duck before the discus hit the throne, right where my head had been seconds before.

  MEGAN

  Shouts broke out as Jared and Adam grabbed my arms and dragged me into the castle. Beth followed closely behind with her bow ready to shoot anyone who came near. We didn’t stop until we were in my bedroom, and even then, they stayed around me while they checked under my bed and in the closet.

  “Guys, chill. I’m fine.” But I wasn’t fine. My legs were shaking so much, I was glad that Adam and Jared still had my arms.

  “Did you see who threw that discus? We need to find him and stop him.” Jared tightened his grip until I gasped in pain. “Oh, sorry.”

  “Just let me sit down, pleas
e.” I dropped down onto my bed while Jared and Adam paced. Several guards came into the room and checked closets, my bathroom, and then closed my curtains. “Hey, at least let me light some candles first.”

  The room was dark and no one moved to open the curtains again, so I used my anger to light the candles. So much for privacy. There was barely any room to move, and they all stood staring at me.

  “What?” My head kept running through the last few moments before the discus was thrown. I hadn’t recognized the person, but that didn’t mean anything. Most wore padding and armor.

  “We’re going to have to call off the rest of the events,” Ethan said. “There’s no way we can keep going if people are trying to attack you.”

  I wanted to argue, but this just meant Jared and I could leave sooner to go get the ring. Beth and Adam could cover for us now since we weren’t out in the open anymore. “Let’s just end for the day and see how things are tomorrow. Everyone was looking forward to doing these games, and I’d hate to have them miss out.”

  Ethan looked like he wanted to argue, but he just nodded instead. He left the room, and the guards took their places on each side of my door.

  “I’m going to go see if they figured out who it was.” Adam moved toward the door, but the guards blocked his way.

  “No one is to leave or enter this room,” one of the guards said.

  Adam rolled his eyes. “We can’t just stay here. My sister was attacked. I need to see what’s going on out there.”

  “Guards, please stand outside. We need to plan, and this room is squished with all of you in here. I’ll figure out a protection something-or-other for in here.” I waited for them to listen, but they continued to stand in silence.

  I strode over until I was inches from one of them. “Out of here. I am the queen, and you will listen to me.”

  That was something I never thought I’d have to say.

  The guard bowed slightly and left the room, followed by the others. Once they’d shuffled out and the door was closed, I took a deep breath. I’d been able to keep control up until then, but I finally let myself relax. I curled up into a ball and rested my head on my knees. This wasn’t the worst of my attacks. I’d fought plenty of creatures, and dealt with poisoned knives before. But if someone hadn’t yelled to warn me, this time I would probably be dead.

  Nessa brought in snacks, but otherwise, we didn’t see or hear from anyone for what felt like hours. My mind drifted home, and I wondered what was going on with William and Maddie. Mom and Dad had to be worried sick, and Grandma was probably beside herself.

  “You know, I don’t even know what day it is anymore.” I picked at the quilt on my bed.

  “Hopefully, time doesn’t pass differently. I’d hate to leave here and find out that everyone had aged thirty years or something.” Beth walked over and grabbed her manicure set off the dressing table.

  Adam shook his head. “You’re all forgetting that we came over here on Midsummer’s Eve in both worlds. That has to mean something, right? We’re probably fine. Right now, we’re probably just missing work and might be fired. Of course, that doesn’t necessarily mean anything. Time could still pass faster there, and then we’d really be fired.”

  “Nah, Uncle Jerry can’t fire me. My mom would never forgive him.” Jared took a bunch of grapes and popped a couple into his mouth.

  “That makes one of us with a job.” Adam took a drink of his juice.

  “Hey, Louie?” I called out.

  Louie appeared and bowed slightly. “Yes?”

  “Stop bowing. Especially when no one else is around.” I hated being bowed down to, and it was worse when it was my friends. “We were just wondering how fast time passes here compared to earth. Are we going to go back and find our friends thirty years older than us or something?”

  “Time does pass faster there. If you’re here for the full thirty days, it will mean probably two months there. But it’s not precise. Remember that even though it was night in your world, it was day when you got here to fight. Of course, with the portals closed, we have no idea if it’s messed anything up. Now, was there anything else? I need to go check on Puck. He was sneaking around the dwarf camp earlier, and I want to hear what he found out.”

  “Nope, that’s it. But if you figure out who it was that threw the discus, I want to know as soon as possible.” I watched him disappear, and turned back to Adam. “I guess that answers your question. Kind of. Let’s hope closing the portal didn’t mess anything up.”

  “Ugh. That is not what I wanted to hear. I really will be fired from my job. Awesome.” He walked around the room, staring at the knickknacks. “Man, your room is way nicer than ours.”

  Beth threw a pillow at him. “Of course it is. She’s the queen, remember?”

  “How could I forget?” When he’d finished circling the room, he sat on the bed next to me and leaned close. “Okay, so are you guys going to tell me what this relic is that we keep hearing about?”

  “Dude, your sister just got attacked, and you only care about the relic?” Jared stared at him like he was crazy.

  Adam shrugged. “Look, if that’s why most of these people are actually here, there’s a good chance they think Megan knows where it is.”

  “They’re here to get her crown, remember?” Beth pointed at my tiara. “This whole thing is a big mess, and I don’t even know what’s going on anymore.”

  I stared at the three of them, biting my lip. Adam had a point, but at the same time, it didn’t make any sense. I’d been here for what felt like weeks already, and the ring had only been brought up recently. If this ring was as valuable as I thought it was, it would make sense that everyone wanted it.

  “I’m just as lost as you are, but since we don’t know who threw the discus, we’re at a dead end. All we can do is be careful until we know what we’re up against. Which you all know I love doing.” I turned to Adam. “They’re talking about Merlin’s ring. Louie, Jared, and I found it while we were looking for gateways to our world. We knew it was important because of the Chimera guarding it, but we had no idea how powerful it was.”

  Adam’s eyes widened. “Merlin’s ring is here?”

  “Yes, and the only reason we haven’t gone back to get it is because we have no way of going without alerting everyone. I don’t quite trust Louie, and I trust Puck even less. Can you imagine that much power in either of their hands? Look what Louie did with my luck.”

  “That’s insane, but it makes more sense than people just wanting your crown. If they can rule this world and own that ring, just imagine the kind of power they could have.” Adam glanced up at me. “What kind of power you could have.”

  I shook my head. “Don’t even go there. I want to get out of here and pretend this place doesn’t exist as soon as possible.”

  The ground shook and sent us tumbling off the bed. It felt as though something was ripping the entire castle apart as pieces of the ceiling fell to the ground, hitting my legs and back. Jared crawled over the top of me for protection. He shouted something at me, but the noise from the building was too loud for me to hear. It was another thirty seconds or so when the shaking finally stopped. I wanted to get up and check everything out, but my body had other ideas. The light faded out until I knew nothing but darkness.

  I coughed and sputtered, trying to get the dust from the air out of my lungs. The room was eerily silent after all the noise from the quake, and I had no idea how long I’d been out.

  “It’s stopped. You can get off me now.” I tried to push up, but Jared was dead weight. “Jared?”

  He didn’t respond. I pushed up and rolled him off me, and found that Adam and Beth also lay unmoving in the rubble. I crawled over to Jared’s face and checked for any injuries. Something that I’d had to do way too many times.

  I checked his pulse, and sighed with relief when I felt a shallow pulse under my fingers. He was alive. I moved on to Beth and then Adam. Each of them appeared to be sleeping. Beth had a gash on her forehea
d, so I healed it like I’d healed Jared’s. Adam seemed fine until I lifted a large piece of stone off his leg. The skin was lacerated, and the bone was broken. I pushed my luck into him and worked at it until the skin was smooth. I had no idea how to heal bones, so that would have to wait for someone else to help me.

  Jared stirred, but didn’t open his eyes. “What happened?”

  “Another quake. Are you hurt anywhere?” I moved back over to him and wiped some of the dust off his cheek.

  “Everywhere. You?” Jared rolled over and tried to sit up. “Aw, man. Maybe I’ll wait a sec.”

  I stood. “I’m fine. I need to go check to see if everyone else is okay. Can you stay with Beth and Adam for a bit? I’ll be right back.”

  He nodded, so I pushed my way through the mess and pulled the door open. The hallways were a mess. Servants lay sprawled out on the floor, and cracks lined the walls. There was no sound but the creaking of broken beams as I walked along, trying to find anyone to help me. Puck sat on my throne, but he was asleep like the others.

  “April? Louie? Eoin?” After waiting for a moment, I turned and ran back the way I came. Jared still sat near Beth and Adam, so I continued on. Outside, the camps of the other creatures were silent. Fires smoldered in their pits. Trees had fallen on each other.

  “Megan!” a voice shouted from behind me.

  I turned to find Colin running toward me, along with Alleya and Exander. All three were covered in scrapes and bruises, and Colin had a bandage around one arm. “I was beginning to think Jared and I were the only ones awake.”

  “Our army is shaken up, but otherwise fine. We just came to check up on you. This is the second earthquake since we got here. Is it always like this?” Colin pulled out a handkerchief. “Here. You have quite a cut on your cheek. You should get it checked.”

  My hand flew up to my face. In all the excitement, I hadn’t even felt the cut until he pointed it out. I took the handkerchief from him. “Thank you.”

  “No problem. It looks like it was mostly your people who are injured. The elves and dwarves are plotting something, but when I walked by, they stopped talking.” Colin gestured toward the armies behind me. “Looks like it’s the same case here.”