She stuffed the supplies into a messenger bag then joined me at the sink. She settled against the counter beside me while I scrubbed the food crumbs off the plates. “You’re the prophesied one, the one I’ve heard about since I was a little girl.” She reached over and gripped my arm. “You were meant to save us from the tyranny. Don’t be afraid, it’ll come naturally to you.”
The deep liquid blue of her eyes cut through me, making me feel like a speck of dust compared to the enormity of the task ahead of us. She really thought I’d defeat Athena and save them.
Carter picked up a rag beside the sink and dried the dishes I’d washed. He searched the cabinets for their proper places to put things while Esme finished packing her bag. From the bedroom, she carried out a pair of pants and shirt similar to the ones she wore.
“Can’t be traveling much further in that.” She looked me up and down. “Dresses are for maidens and queens who get others to do their dirty work. You’re a rebel now.”
The blue dress was a symbol of Jaco’s control over me, so I snatched the clothes out of her hands and went into the bedroom. When I came out, my companions had bags slung over their shoulders.
“Ready?” Esme removed her quiver from the hook and opened the front door.
A steady drizzle had crept in overnight, giving the surrounding forest an eerie feel. Because the trail was so narrow, I settled into a trot behind Esme with Carter behind me. Twenty minutes into our trek, I longed for my red raincoat that hung in the front closet at home, although I now detested the color. My hair clung to my forehead in clumps, and the chill from my shirt suctioned to what seemed like every inch of skin sent uncontrollable shivers through my core. Less than a half-hour in, and I was ready to give up.
The trail ascended upward over large boulders. I dug my fingernails into crevice after crevice, my bones aching from trying not to slip. Carter waited for me to make it to the top of one of the rocks before he scaled it. At the top of the boulder field, I collapsed, not willing to take another step.
“That’s Ag.” Esme pointed with one of her arrows to the valley below. A sweet village, like one that might be on the front of a Christmas card, was nestled amongst the trees.
“They’re on Athena’s side?” Carter sat down on the rock beside me, not seeming to mind that it was wet.
Esme sucked in a breath. “They’re under Athena’s control.” She removed a bottle of green capsules from her cloak and shook it. There were only four left. “Not everyone has these.” She unscrewed the lid and tilted the bottle so two capsules landed in her palm. “Best to take one now as we near Ag. I’m not sure how far the influence of Athena’s pheromones reach.”
I swallowed the capsule without water, and it lodged in my throat for a second before finishing its descent into my gut. “Once we collect enough materials to make the pendants, do we mix them in a big pot or something?”
Esme smirked, then crouched down beside me. “No, then we need to find a potions master or a magician. You can’t mix these ingredients the traditional way. Your friend’s a magician, right?”
Yeah, for all of four weeks. It wasn’t like Brek could make the Statue of Liberty disappear or anything. But maybe I wasn’t giving him the credit he deserved. “He’s learning.”
The climb down the boulder field on the other side of the hill proved just as treacherous as the ascent. I slipped multiple times, scraping both my knees and elbows. We still hadn’t seen a single soul. I was sure there were easier ways to get around closer to Ag. Only the adventurous souls, or dumb asses like us, ventured through this obstacle course.
After what seemed like hours, we reached the base of the boulders, the trail disappearing into a dark forest. My knee stung, and I stopped to take a look at it. Blood seeped through the opening in the fresh rip in my jeans.
“You don’t happen to have any Band-Aids in that bag, do you?” I asked.
“It won’t be long now.” Esme removed a premade torch from her sack. She struck a match, and the head of the torch burst into flames. “An hour through the woods and then along the grasslands to the cliffs. The monks will provide you with proper medical care.”
Carter shrugged off his long-sleeved shirt. Before I could stop him, he ripped it in half, and tore a strip off.
“You didn’t have to…”
“Sit down.” He guided me to a flat rock. “It’s my turn to take care of you.”
I obeyed, though it felt unnatural. My job was to watch out for everyone else. He lifted my leg; his strong hands provided an unnecessary massage to my calf. It was heaven. Water flowed from his bottle onto a strip. He cleaned the blood from around the wound then wrapped a clean section of his shirt around my knee, tying it in place.
“There.” He leaned forward and pecked me on the lips. “Good as new.”
The forest wasn’t as threatening as Mateel. Where Mateel seemed to suck life from its inhabitants and visitors, this forest reminded me of any state park in Ohio. Birds chirped, trees rustled, and smoke from campfires drifted through the air.
“Get down.” Esme ducked into a row of bushes. She removed an arrow from her quiver, notching it in her bow.
The campsite was eerily deserted except for the roaring fire. My stomach twisted in knots. Someone was nearby. An Athena sympathizer? Jaco’s soldiers? We had to get around the camp without being seen. Esme looked at me then Carter and nodded. Staying in a crouched position, she crept beside the bushes around the perimeter of the camp. We crept behind her, mindful of every noise we made. With each snap of a branch breaking under one of our feet, my insides tightened even more.
We’d made it to the far side of the camp when a voice startled me from behind. “If it isn’t the little girl and her lover boy.”
Relief swept through me as I turned around and rushed into Tyran’s arms. He smelled like he hadn’t showered in days, the body odor permeating every square inch of his body, but I didn’t care. I was sure I didn’t smell much better.
As he released his embrace, it hit me. “But aren’t you under Athena’s control?”
He smiled and removed his hood. His beard had grown longer than I’d remembered it, but his kind, hazel eyes remained the same. “Something called the Insurgency has people on the inside. Recognizing my magical powers, they moved me to the top of their priority list of hostages.” He ran his fingers through the length of his beard. “Turns out they wanted me as their own hostage. They like to collect magical creatures for their own purposes.”
I shot a look at Carter. “Yeah. They’ve got Brek right now. The leader, Jaco, wants me to be his puppet queen.”
“Doesn’t surprise me one bit.” He walked over to the fire and tossed a log from a nearby pile onto the flames. “The whole prophecy thing’s got Athena worked into a frenzy trying to find you. Even sent her own daughter to lead one of the search parties. If they find you, Athena will kill you herself.”
“Been there, done that.” I sat on a stump and held my palms up to the fire. “Farra won’t be bothering us anytime soon.”
“Where have you been anyway?” Tyran paced a small dirt path beside the fire, his cape billowing in the breeze. “When I saw you in her throne room, I thought you’d be dead by now. Not that I cared at the time. When you’re under her influence, nothing else matters.”
“Been there, done that, too,” I muttered. I picked up small sticks and threw them into the fire. “Any sign of Shaol’s key when you were in the palace?”
Tyran sighed. He appeared to have aged at least five years from his time with Athena. Dark circles lined the bottom of his eyes, his shoulders hunched slightly. “It’s around her neck. We have to kill her to get the jewel and the key.”
“Why doesn’t your magic work on her?” Carter sat on the ground beside me.
“Believe me, I tried.” Tyran snapped his fingers and a misty haze materialized beside him. Shadowy figures formed within the mist like a crappy TV signal. “As you know, the Red Door leads right into Athena’s palace and
into her influence. The power of her pheromones surged through me as I advanced further into her realm.” Tyran’s shadowy figure crept across the mist screen. “I fought them for as long as I could, but even I succumbed to her powers.” The misty Tyran caressed Athena’s cheek. His real eyebrows drew together. “How did you escape?”
“Meg found green capsules in Rosenbaum’s place.” Carter brushed dirt off his hands and drew his knees into his chest. “They counteract the pheromones.” He lifted the chain out from under his shirt. “These charms have the same power but on a more permanent basis. We got this one from Aric, Athena’s potion master.”
Tyran stopped his pacing and frowned. “He’s dead.”
The twisting dread returned. “We know. She sent his dead body as a message to Jaco.”
“Jaco? The leader of the Insurgency?” Tyran paced the stretch of dirt again but then made a beeline for the woods. “Carter. A word.”
Carter rolled his eyes at me then jumped up to join the magician. What in the world did Tyran have to say to Carter that he couldn’t say in front of me?
“Can you trust this man?” Esme stoked the flames with a stick. “He’s a magician, after all.”
I’d almost forgotten that she was with us. Tyran’s presence filled whatever space he occupied. It was as if his magic oozed out of him.
“With my life.” It was true. Inside the Green Door, he helped us save the people of Ferox from his curse; his only motivator was his love for Shaol. “He’s the magician we need to create the pendants.”
20
When Tyran and Carter returned, my boyfriend’s fists were jammed in his pockets, and he didn’t look me in the eyes. Something was up, and I didn’t like it.
With darkness creeping in, we decided to stay at the camp until morning. I unfurled my bedroll beside Carter’s, hoping to get a few whispered words in before we went to sleep. As I settled, my body inches from his, Tyran lay down on my other side. There’d be no discussion about their secret conversation tonight. I sighed, burying my face into Carter’s jacket.
Hours later, the early morning light made everything appear gray as I woke to Tyran reviving the fire. He whistled a tune that sounded both joyful and melancholy wrapped together.
“Good morning, little girl.” Tyran’s voice was as hushed as the still air surrounding us. “Sleep well?”
I sat up, careful not to touch Carter and whispered, “Getting used to it.” It was true. I’d never considered myself an outdoorsy person, but the fresh air and hard grounds were almost comforting to me now—it meant I wasn’t locked up by a raving lunatic.
I followed Tyran into the forest to gather more wood for the fire. Though this world mimicked his own in many ways, he seemed out of place, like an authentic cowboy in the city. He constantly scratched his head in thought, or had a far-off, dream-like stare—not the confident magician from Vradian.
“Are you ok?” I asked. What if his conversation with Carter had to do with a deadly virus he contracted from Athena? Or maybe he lost his transport bracelet?
He lifted a log into his arms; his bracelet glowed around his wrist. “Yes. Why do you ask? I try not to be that easy to read.”
“It’s just that Brek told me about what happened to him with Athena, and I didn’t know if… it’s just that… well.”
“She didn’t abuse me, if that’s what you’re wondering.” He chuckled, “Yes, I was under her influence, but it was as if my body knew what my mind and heart didn’t. That it belonged with Shaol.” He lifted another log to his arms. “Whenever I was called up to spend time with Athena, I made myself scarce. I’d lock myself in a room using a timed spell and fought like hell to get out of it.”
“Is that what you talked to Carter about?”
“Uh… no.” His face flushed, and I saw fear in his eyes with my question. “I need his help with something.” He must’ve thought he had enough firewood because he rushed off toward camp, leaving me behind.
Now they both had me really confused.
Back at camp, Carter and Esme packed the bags. Tyran removed a slab of meat from brown paper and pierced it with a stick. He roasted the flesh over the fire. My thoughts drifted to Brek. In this crazy world, I was beginning to believe he was the only one I could trust. I hated that feeling.
The trail in the forest opened to a vast field that seemed to go on for miles. The greenish-yellow grass reached up to our thighs, and a steady wind kept the blades bent at a ninety-degree angle. As we marched forward, I attempted to braid my hair to keep it from being a knotted mess by the time we reached Crestone. I failed miserably.
Esme took the lead. A determined gait guided her steps, and when Tyran questioned the direction she led us, she simply ignored him and kept going. My heart pounded with the possibilities. I’d follow this woman anywhere—the woman with the confidence to take down Athena.
Had Satchel met this Esme?
Crestone first appeared as a tiny speck on the horizon but now loomed over us like a stone castle sitting impossibly on the rocky cliff. With erosion taking its course, the massive masonry might be on the ocean floor in less than a decade. I swallowed, tasting the spray of the saltwater mist on my lips. Carter took my hand as Esme pressed on.
“You sure you’ve got what it takes to do this, little girl?” The magician walked on the other side of me, his cape billowing in the wind.
Carter squeezed my hand as a gentle reminder to keep it reined in. But Tyran’s words were endearing to me now. He didn’t see me as a little girl but as an equal. I had been his first choice as an apprentice.
“To face a bunch of monks?” I dismissed his insinuation, holding my nose up in the air. “What do you think, Ty-boy?”
“I think this won’t be a bunch of religious monks.” He grabbed the edges of his hood and drew it closer to his face. “They might be reluctant to give away the precious rock holding their fortress in place.”
“What’s a couple of pebbles?” I shrugged. “We can probably swipe them without anyone noticing.”
Esme stopped and turned to face us. “We’re not taking anything without permission. The rocks beneath the structure are precious to the monks. They’re connected to the old saying ‘the wise man built his house upon the rock.”
“You mean from the Bible?” Carter dropped my hand to scratch his head. “I’m not sure that’s exactly what it means. Besides, it’s obvious that the rock isn’t very stable.”
The castle loomed over us, providing shelter from the wind. A rock pillar on the sea’s edge crumbled piece-by-piece into the churning water. Esme climbed the stone stairs then lifted the iron knocker.
I climbed the stairs and stood beside her. “What if they say no?”
It’s not like we had a plan B. To defeat Athena, we had to protect ourselves from her toxic pheromones.
“You ever heard of something called hope?” She lifted the knocker again, letting it drop against the wood. “You should try it sometime.”
Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.
Carter surprised me with his recall earlier when I begged him to recite as much of the verse as he remembered. Esme wasn’t going to give up on Rushna.
The door creaked open to a man in a brown cloak similar to Tyran’s. He nodded at Esme, and she slipped inside. I followed close behind.
Inside the door, a small tunnel curved upward. The man motioned for us to keep up. He climbed more stone steps to a cavernous room that rose high above us. Hundreds of monks prayed in this room, some prostrate on the floor, some on their knees, others in huddled groups. Our monk crossed the floor to a group beside a table full of candles. One of the monks left his comrades to come over to us.
The man had long, dark hair and a kind smile. “Welcome, Sister Esme.” He embraced her.
“Brother Michael, I’ve missed you but unfortunately, this is not a visit of pleasure. We need a favor from you.” She turned to Carter. “Let me see the pendant.”
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br /> He unclasped it and placed it in her outstretched hand. She gave it to Brother Michael.
“My friends and I seek to create four more of these pendants.” She glanced at Tyran. “Actually, five. As you know, unlike the brotherhood, we’re not immune to Athena’s influence.” When he arched an eyebrow, she raised a hand to him. “Now, before you say no, our goal is not to infiltrate the city for our own gain. We’re going to overthrow the current regime.”
“You know we don’t get involved in the politics of Rushna.” Brother Michael scanned the room of monks. “That’s how we live in peace. But out of curiosity, where did you get such a pendant?” He dangled the chain from his finger and took in the swirling colors of the stone.
“Athena’s potions master, or former potions master. He found a way to combine three ingredients that negate the power of her pheromones. It’s how he lived right under her nose.”
“And the ingredients?” Brother Michael placed the pendant back in her palm.
She looked down at her feet. It was the first time her confidence seemed shaken. “We need five pieces of your precious rock.”
“Dear child.” Brother Michael shook his head and touched her shoulder. “You know I’d give you the world but, well, you know what giving the rock to you means.”
She kept her eyes downturned as if she knew exactly what it meant. “Five years less of the brotherhood.”
“We’re down to dangerously few years as it is.” He stared out one of the windows at the sea. “It calls me now at night. It knows our time is near.”
She flashed her eyes to his. “I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important to the future of Rushna. You raised me to stand up for what’s important. As an orphan in this world, I’ve adopted it as my own.”
He sighed, leaned forward and placed his forehead against hers. They stood there for a long time. I shuffled my feet and glanced at Carter. He raised his eyebrows. Tyran stared out at the ocean.
The Red Door Page 15