The Red Door

by Heather Kindt

  Aric laughed and shook his head. “God, no. Have you seen her? And her personality’s just as pleasant.” He removed a pendant from under his shirt. “This makes me immune to her… persuasions.”

  “Does she know you’re immune?” Carter leaned closer to get a better view of the pendant.

  The potions master sat back on a stool by the table. He tugged at the cuffs of his shirt. “We’ve learned to adapt… pretend. It keeps us alive and able to continue to search for a way to stop her.”

  “Is it a spell?” I investigated a cabinet full of bottles.

  “No, that would be easy to reverse.” Aric ran his finger along the scroll in front of him. “Come here.”

  I glanced over my shoulder at Carter. He approached the table, so I joined him. The scroll was written in an ancient language that they didn’t teach at Worthington High.

  “Athena’s queen by birth, like her mother before her. The ancient scrolls tell of the pheromones that run through her blood. It’s her birthright. Like the queen bee in a hive, Athena rules Rushna. Her people do everything to please her.” His eyes did not leave the parchment. “It’s very difficult to fake it. The people in her trance orbit the queen like she’s the center of the universe.” His hands balled into fists on the table.

  “Pheromones?” Carter scratched his head. “You mean, like animals?”

  “Exactly. It’s something that permeates her skin and holds her victims in a state of bliss in her presence.” Aric pointed to his pendant. “I’ve developed an antidote in small doses that the resistance takes in capsules, but this pendant is much more difficult to recreate. I thought maybe one of the resistance members got ahold of you when I saw you in the throne room.” He chuckled and raised an eyebrow at Carter. “A bloated eel?”

  “He’s gotten a little too brazen lately.” I elbowed my boyfriend. “Do you have more of this antidote?” I glanced over at the cabinet with the vials. “We have two friends that might be enraptured by these pheromones.”

  “It takes me a year to gather all the ingredients necessary. They’re located throughout Rushna. With more and more joining the resistance, I’ve enlisted others in the process, but it’s still extremely dangerous.” Aric opened the cabinet beside the one with the vials and removed a locked case. “If you’re caught outside her realm of influence, you’re forced to breed.” He set the case on the table, next to the scrolls. “If you refuse to breed, then you’re banished to the End.”

  “What’s the End?” It didn’t sound a like a very nice place to me.

  “The End of Rushna.” Aric removed a key from his pocket and turned it in the lock. “The place where no one survives or ever comes back.” He lifted the lid to the case. It was lined with velvet. Inside were a gray rock and a sprig of a plant with deep green leaves. Aric picked up the plant and held it out in his palm. “This is called the Moon Glow plant, thought to grow on one of Rushna’s twelve moons. Many years ago, an explorer brought it back and planted it within the forest of Mateel. It’s a week’s walk from here. Nothing green is allowed to grow anywhere near Athena.”

  “Why?” It touched one of the tiny leaves with my fingertip.

  “She prefers an artificial world. A world she can control.” He pinched the stem of the plant and held it in front of his eyes. “Manipulating people is easy. The natural world—not so much.”

  Reaching into my backpack, I took out my pad of yellow sticky notes and a pen. I reached out and touched the rare specimen. “This is one of the ingredients?”

  He nodded, set it back inside the case, and then removed the rock. “The rock is from the hallowed ground beneath the Crestone monastery of the druid monks. The only known residents of Rushna who are naturally resistant to Athena’s pheromones.”

  I scribbled down some notes about the plant and the rock.

  “And where’s this monastery?” Carter pushed himself onto the table and sat beside the case. He leaned over to get a closer look.

  Aric slammed it shut, obviously protective of the rare specimens. “Not far, but it’s high on a rocky cliff above the ocean. Each pendant needs these two ingredients along with a love fairy’s heart.”

  “A fairy?” Carter and I said at the same time.

  Although we were in a world much different from our own, the thought of a mythical creature hadn’t crossed my mind.

  “This is the most difficult to achieve. Love fairies only appear to those with pure intentions. Most hearts in Rushna are polluted with lust for Athena.” Aric returned the case to the cabinet and locked it shut with the same key. “I have but one person in the rebellion who has been able to capture a love fairy.”

  “How long does it take to gather the three ingredients?” I had down vague notes about the plant, rock, and fairy. These had to be the keys to saving Tyran, and the sinking feeling in my heart told me we’d have to save Brek, too.

  “Anywhere from one to six months.” Aric placed a hand on his hip and held the other one out in front of him. “It all depends on who you have working for you. How well do they know the terrain? Do they know what they are searching for? What kind of connections do they have? After the collection of the materials, you need a magician or a potions master to create the pendant.”

  My heart sank. We didn’t have any of these things, especially not the time. I twisted the end of my braid, staring down at the notes on my sticky. “Is there any way we could have the ingredients in your case?”

  Aric pushed his glasses on top of his head and sighed. “There are thousands of people to save in Rushna. Those in the resistance won’t be too happy about using the precious resources we have to save a stranger. Many are trying to save their own loved ones.”

  “But it will take you a millennium to save everyone.” Carter hopped off the table. “There’s got to be a way to defeat her.”

  “What happened to the guy who was afraid of death and only wanted to throw parties and moon his friends and family?” I shoved the sticky notes into my backpack. “I thought people dying scared you.”

  “Yeah, I kind of left him behind.” His eyes drilled into mine as if he were trying to dare me to push him further. “We’re here now, and these people are enslaved to this woman.”

  “Huh.” I smiled and ran a finger up his arm. “I must be rubbing off on you.”

  Aric watched our exchange from across the room. He opened the drawer of a large desk that was piled high with papers. “Are you two lovers?”

  “Something like that.” I took Carter’s hand, entwining my fingers with his.

  “Before I go into any more secrets of the resistance,” he reached into the drawer and took out a gun, pointing it right at us, “I need to know how you are immune to Athena’s pheromones.”

  Carter raised his arms above his head. “There’s no need for guns. We’ll tell you everything.”

  Aric squinted his eyes at us, taking a step out from behind the desk. “No one’s resistant to Athena’s pheromones unless they’re a monk, have taken the green capsules, or are wearing one of these.” He lifted his pendant up with his free hand. “As far as I know, neither of you have a necklace, and you sure as hell aren’t the monkish type.”

  I gave Carter a quick side-glance and moved closer to Aric. My mind swirled with the lies I could tell. “A sorcerer named Rosenbaum gave us the capsules.” I nodded in the direction of my bag. “If you put the gun down, I’ll show you.”

  He pursed his lips and took a hesitant step forward. He slowly set the gun down on the table in front of him. I lifted my backpack to the table and dug out the container with the two red capsules.

  “The sorcerer gave us two of these, along with two green ones.” I set the container on the table.

  Aric walked over and picked up the bottle. “These are the required vitamins.” He tossed the capsules back onto the table. “Under penalty of death, every resident of Rushna must take them daily.” He gripped the edge of the surface and sighed. “I believe… we believe that they increase the potency o
f the pheromones. You say there were two green?”

  “Yeah. Maybe they were kind of like an antidote.” Carter stared down at the red pills. “But if the red capsules have to be taken every day to be effective, what if the green ones do, too?”

  The same thought crossed my mind. “Does it wear off when you get further away from her? Like, does the potency wear off?”

  “Yes. I developed the green capsules as a temporary safeguard against her pheromones.” Aric rifled through some of the papers on the desk. The gun still lay there, like a deep chasm in our trust of the resistance member. He drew a large piece of paper out from the stack and brought it back to the table. “This is a map of Rushna.” He pointed to an immense, walled town. “This is Athena’s city, where we are now.” His finger traced a river out from beneath the city to the lands beyond. “This is the safest and most secretive way out.” He circled an area along the sea with a pencil. “The druid monks live here. And like I said, they are resistant to Athena, so she leaves them alone. To the west is the forest of Mateel. That is as far as the resistance members have travelled.” He drew an x on a large, treed area. “It’s rumored that beyond the forest is a deeper uprising. One that doesn’t have its arms tied behind its back with a red feather boa by Athena.”

  A buzzing sound came from a device on the table.

  Aric scooped it up and hit a button before throwing it back down. “Someone’s coming. They’ve hit my alert.” He folded the map and handed it to me. “You’ve got to get out of here.”

  “But where can we go? She’s got guards everywhere.” Carter grabbed my backpack and unzipped it so I could store the map.

  “Find the waterway that runs beneath the castle. There’s a tunnel system that will eventually lead out of the gated walls.” Aric opened the door that we entered from the staircase that led to our prison room. “These are the passages I use to move about the castle when I don’t want to be seen. Continue as far down as possible. Don’t enter any of the doors. You don’t know what you’ll find.”

  “We have to find Brek.” I took my pack from Carter and lifted it to my back. “I’m not leaving him behind.”

  The person in the hallway pounded on the door. “Open up, Aric. The queen requests your presence.”

  “Go.” He ushered us into the passageway. “I’m afraid your friend must be left behind, but I’ll try to get word of his whereabouts.”

  The person outside of the door shouted, “If you don’t open up now, we’ll have to break the door down.” His voice was familiar but… it couldn’t be.

  Carter tugged me further into the passage, and Aric closed the door, blocking my view of the other room. Something held me to that spot.

  “We’ve got to get out of here.” Carter attempted to lace his fingers through mine, but I swatted his hand away. If Brek was outside that door, he was in trouble, and we weren’t leaving without him.

  5

  I spun around and covered Carter’s mouth with my palm. “That’s Brek. They’ve got him brainwashed or something.” There was no way in the world I was ditching him. “I’m not going.”

  He removed my hand from his mouth. He pitched forward, placing his ear against the door. I snuggled in beside him. The voices were muffled through the wood. I struggled to make out the words, so I cracked the door open a half-inch.

  “Athena wants to speak with you.” Brek’s voice held an unfamiliar authority like in the two hours we’d been here, he’d grown a massive head.

  “Are you new?” Aric was further away.

  “Who I am doesn’t matter now, does it?” True anger ran through every octave of Brek’s voice. “Now get your ass in that throne room, or I’m going to drag you there.”

  “What does she want?”

  Something slammed. A massive crash vibrated the wood beneath our ears. My heart faltered, and even though I longed to fling the door open and draw him back into reality, it wasn’t the smartest choice. There’s one thing I did know—I’d make Athena pay for whatever she’d done to Brek.

  After another round of scuffling and a door slamming, the room went silent.

  Carter stood up straight and looked at me before turning the knob. Aric’s table lay upended in the middle of the floor. Jars of different potions littered the area, making it stink with funky odors. A spear stuck into the far wall opposite the main entrance.

  “Do you think Brek did all this?” He stepped over the broken glass.

  “If Aric’s in trouble, we’ve got to get that case.” I turned the handle on the cabinet, but it was locked. Pulling harder, I shook the door trying to pry it open.

  “It’s a glass front.” Carter grabbed a hammer from a workbench. “Step back, Covington.”

  I sent him daggers, but he didn’t seem to care as he drew back and smashed the glass. With his sleeve, he swept away the remaining shards and unlocked it from the inside. I rushed in front of him and removed the case with the elements needed to make a pendant.

  “The fairy heart’s missing.” I ran my finger over the lid. “And it’s locked.”

  “Really?” He held up his weapon. “I’m sure I could smash that to bits, too.”

  “We want to make sure we don’t damage what’s inside.” I set my backpack on the floor and cradled the box between my sweater and pants.

  As I bent down, I heard footsteps outside the door again. It swung open and Brek stood there with a wicked grin on his face. “It’s my lucky day. I came back to retrieve my spear, and I’ve apprehended two fugitives.” He rubbed his palms together. “Athena will be very pleased with me.”

  This Brek freaked me out. I held my hands out like I was afraid he might go all ballistic on me and walked toward him. “Brek. It’s us. It’s me, Meg.” Another step closer. “We didn’t do anything wrong. Come with us.”

  He crossed his arms over his chest in his ridiculous red and pink guard uniform. “I don’t know a Meg. I don’t even want to know a Meg. All I know is Athena. She’s my beginning and my end. You’re just a pathetic street rat who pales in comparison to my queen’s radiance.”

  He raised one of his arms in front of him, lifting my body off the floor. Holy crap. Using his magic for good was one thing but using it against me was another. Only the tips of my toes dragged against the surface of the wood as he pulled me to him. When I was in reach, he gripped my neck in his hand and squeezed.

  “Meg!” Carter’s feet pounded against the floorboards behind me.

  Brek raised his other arm, and my boyfriend flew across the room, smashing into something. My eyes grew wide as I stared at Brek, trying to find the soul of my friend inside this monster.

  I managed to gasp, “Please.”

  His eyes locked on something. It was as if he were gazing at my hair. His released my neck, and I fell to the floor. My constricted windpipe gasped for air as he knelt down beside me.

  “How do you know me?” He reached over to touch my hair but then drew back. “I’ve been in Athena’s service for years. My powers as her magician are known throughout Rushna.”

  My head was still clouded from the lack of oxygen, but I straightened myself to make sure my eyes locked with his. “You’ve been my best friend since fifth grade. You’ve had a crush on exactly three girls, floss two times a day and occasionally wear Sponge Bob underwear.”

  Shaking his mop of brown hair, he set his eyes on the ground in front of him. “I’m sorry to disappoint you and your puppy dog crush on me, but why would I settle for you when I can have the hottest woman in all of Rushna?” His face flamed red, and he chewed on the inner part of his cheek. “She’s invited me to dine with her tonight.”

  This was it. He’d not be another one of her unsuspecting victims. I turned to check on Carter. He was still out cold but feet away from him lay a heap of green and silver—Aric’s necklace. That meant two things. If I could get it around Brek’s neck, he’d be immune to her pheromones. It also meant that the potions master wouldn’t be, so he’d lead Athena’s guards directly to us.
They’d also know our plans for escape. I didn’t have much time.

  Brek grabbed my ankle while I staggered to my feet. “Where do you think you’re going?” He yanked my leg and pulled me to him.

  “Please.” I was so tempted to bite his arm that was locked around me. “Let me check to see if he’s all right.”

  “Oh.” His hot breath ran along my neck. “You must have feelings for the urchin. Don’t worry, soon you’ll both have eyes for only one person and love her as I’ve come to love her.” By some miracle, he released me.

  I half-ran, half-tripped over to Carter but managed to scoop up the necklace along the way. A trickle of blood ran down his forehead. His eyelids fluttered when I kneeled next to him.

  “Are you okay?” I pushed his hair off his face to inspect the wound. A small cut ran along his hairline.

  “I think so.” He groaned as he propped himself up on his elbows. “I had a nasty dream that Brek wanted to kill me.”

  “That idea’s still kicking around.” Brek called out to him from across the room. “In the very least, you’ll have to face Athena. She takes her breeders very seriously.”

  My words hadn’t swayed him at all. Our only hope was to get the pendant around his neck. I opened my palm an inch to show Carter what I was holding.

  “Do you think you can keep him down?” I whispered the words.

  “His magic,” he mouthed, uttering the real fear that we both felt.

  “I have an idea.” I gripped the necklace tighter, feeling its sharp edges dig into my flesh. “You won’t like it.”

  I jumped up before Carter could stop me and crossed the room. Inches from Brek, I snaked my arms around his neck.

  He shook his shoulders back and forth. “What are you doing? Get off me.”

  Just as I was about to clasp the necklace, he shoved me. The room flashed past me; the back of my head crashed into something hard. Through my blurred vision, Brek held up his arm, and the loud crash of Carter’s body hitting something in the back of the room made me cringe. Marching up to my crumpled body, Brek grabbed my wrists, lifted me up, and threw me over his shoulder.