Brother Michael lifted his head. “I raised you well, Esme. You may have the rocks to save the secular world.”
She dropped to one knee and kissed his hand. “Thank you, Father.”
After lunch, the four of us gathered in a courtyard. Esme assured us that she had what we needed to complete the spell—moonflowers, Crestone rocks, the fairy hearts, and a magician.
“Do you know what to do with this stuff?” I arranged the supplies Esme gave me in small piles for each pendant then passed one set to Tyran. “Like does it come naturally?”
He chuckled. “Oh, Megan. You would’ve been quite the apprentice.” He inspected one of the flowers; its petals still holding their luminescence. “I’m assuming it’s a melding spell. Nothing like a little trial-and-error to spice up the afternoon.”
“We only have five Crestone rocks, so don’t blow one up.” I recognized the gravity of Brother Michael providing the stones. Five fewer years of peaceful existence.
“It’s going to take me some time to figure out the molecular structure of these two ingredients. Once I’m able to combine the rock and the flower, I can add in the heart which I assume is the catalyst.” He lifted his hands as if to begin but then dropped them. “Do you mind waiting somewhere else? This is a delicate situation, and I don’t perform well under pressure.”
Carter and I followed Esme out of the courtyard and into a smaller chapel. I plopped down on one of the pews and closed my eyes. How long would we have to wait?
“What happened to your parents?” Carter sat down next to me and rubbed my leg.
Esme sighed. “I was too young to remember, but they were killed when Athena first rose to power. Brother Michael found me in the forest, where my mother had tried to hide me from the queen’s bloody rise to power. All I know for sure is I wore a transport bracelet.”
I opened my eyes. “You’re a foreigner?”
She’d mentioned connections to Opal earlier. Had members of Rushina’s friend’s family found the Red Door all those years ago?
“Yes.” She removed a tiny bracelet from her bag. It glowed a dim reddish hue.
“Does Satchel know this?” My mind spun with this new revelation. All along Jaco had been searching for the foreign woman foretold to defeat Athena, and she’d been right under his nose.
“No.” She stared down at the bracelet. “And I don’t want him to know. He knows I’m an orphan, and that’s all that really matters.”
I sat up, my heart racing. “But don’t you see? I’m not fulfilling the prophecy.” I reached out and grabbed her arm. “It’s you. The foreign woman is supposed to be patient, kind, and full of hope. I’m a teen full of angst. I’m not a queen.”
Her face flamed.
“It is you.” Carter looked from me to Esme. “I agree with Meg. She’s totally not queen material.”
I elbowed him. Though he was trying to protect me, I didn’t appreciate the jab.
“The plan hasn’t changed.” She paced the aisle of the chapel. “If Tyran’s successful, we head to Athena’s citadel and overthrow her. Next, we set up your reign.” Her blue eyes cut through me, daring me to argue with her outline. “A reign not backed by Jaco.”
I swallowed my comeback. This was a discussion for another time. Reclining back into the pew, I let Carter’s massage lull me to sleep. Images drifted in-and-out as the sounds around me faded.
I woke in a meadow beneath a giant oak tree. A man, dressed in jeans and a button-down white shirt with faded-blue accents came into focus—Brek. He staggered toward me; blood soaked the front of his clothes.
“Meg.” His voice was raspy. He took two more steps and collapsed.
A loud bang woke me from the nightmare.
I jumped up as Tyran entered the room. A chain with a pendant dangled from his finger. “I’ve done it!”
21
The four remaining Crestone rocks lay beside the moonflowers I removed from Esme’s bag and placed on the pew. Two of the ingredients to complete the pendants we needed to take down the queen.
“This is great, but we still have to get five fairy hearts.” Carter picked up a moon rock, turning it over in his palm, and looked at Esme. “You said you’ve got it covered. But how?”
She sat down, pushing the other rocks around with her gloved finger. “Ever since I was a little girl, the fairies have always appeared to me. They were my playmates when I was alone. If you haven’t noticed, there aren’t any other children in Crestone.”
“Aric told us that the fairies come to those who are pure.” I sat beside her. “They have to die. If your intention is to kill them, how are you pure?”
She gathered the rocks into her palm, dropping them one-by-one back onto the pew. A tear ran down her cheek and dripped off her chin. She brushed away another tear. “Follow me.”
The three of us trailed after her as she left the chapel and crossed the courtyard to a metal door hidden by the vines that crept along the wall. Tyran held them back while Esme removed a key from around her neck. The door opened to a walled, grassy area. Flowers in every color of the rainbow covered the landscape. Grand willows and tall pines provided shaded corners any child would love to haunt.
“This was my playground.” She turned to us and smiled, her eyes bright with the memories. “The fairies were my playmates.”
“Where are they now?” Tyran scanned the darker regions of the enclosure. “It seems to me that this has become an overgrown memory. Without your care and attention, I’m afraid your tiny residents have moved on.”
She crossed the grassy lawn to a circle of stones that I hadn’t noticed before. They stood in a clearing between two patches of wildflowers. Esme dropped to her knees and hung her head, her blonde hair a curtain around her face. The thought of what she had to do must’ve been tearing her up inside. As far as I knew, besides Satchel, these creatures were her only friends. If I had to sacrifice Brek to save a kingdom, I don’t know what I’d do.
Carter took my hand, and we crept to the shadows near the walls. Tyran motioned for us to crouch low, pulling deeper into the recesses of an archway.
“Do you think…?”
Carter pressed his finger to my lips.
The longer we remained crouched beside the cold stone of the wall, the more my legs ached. How long would this take? It already felt like an hour.
In a last ditch effort to get relief for my legs, I sighed and slid down to the ground. Tyran shot me an annoyed look but turned his eyes back to the non-existent show. Esme kneeled in the same position. The only thing that had changed was the shadows around her grew longer with the setting of the sun. I swung my legs behind me and rose to one knee, ready to head back to my room, when a flutter of movement darted to the right of her.
“What the…?” I clamped my hand over my mouth this time.
At first, I thought it was a butterfly alighting from its flowery perch but distinctive arms and legs sprouted from the wings. The tiny being landed within the rock circle. Esme spoke to it in a hushed voice. I shivered as the sun set and the conversation continued. Carter snuck his arm around me and drew me near as we witnessed the magical scene playing out in front of us.
Without warning, what appeared to be hundreds of fairies flew in from all directions and landed throughout the garden. Four of them joined the first fairy inside the ring.
“Don’t be afraid.” Esme kept her back to us. “Come meet my friends.”
I shot a wary look at Tyran, but he only nodded and stood. He crossed the garden and knelt beside her. Carter pulled me up, and we took our spots in the audience of the strange yet miraculous spectacle.
Esme laid her palm on the ground, and the fairy who appeared first stepped onto her hand. “This is Sentinel. He, along with the four that stand in the circle, have agreed to give their hearts to our cause.”
“Thank you,” Tyran bowed his head and pressed his palms together in front of him. “It is a worthy cause.”
“The current queen cannot continue
on and keep the balance in place. Something has to change for our people.” Sentinel blew a sparkly substance from his clenched fist, illuminating the flower beside him. “The people no longer care for nature because they are too busy caring for their wretched ruler. With a just queen, our land can be healed. That’s a cause worth dying for.” He dropped to one knee in Esme’s palm. Suddenly, his body crumbled into a pile of dust and blew away on a light gust of wind, leaving a glowing red ember in her palm.
“It’s Sentinel’s heart,” she whispered reverently. She held it above her head as if reaching to the heavens and then lowered it into the collection box at her knees.
In turn, the four other fairies in the circle reduced their bodies to dust. The grove around them was silent, echoing our feelings for their fallen comrades. Had they drawn the short straw or willingly volunteered?
One last fairy stepped into the ring and bowed before my friend. When she stood, her voice rang throughout the garden, “Long live Queen Esme!”
“Long live Queen Esme!” Shouted hundreds of other voices in union.
The power of the moment sent a shudder through me. This was meant to be. She’d be what this land needed. Only three people stood in her way—Athena, Jaco, and Satchel.
“This is the last of them.” Tyran staggered, bracing himself on a chair. He held up the fifth pendant in a scorched hand. The magic required to create the talismans had taken a toll on him.
“Thank you, Tyran.” I touched his sleeve, looking into his eyes. This mission meant as much to him as it did to the people of Rushna. I placed two of the pendants in Esme’s bag for Brek and Satchel. I clasped my own around my neck, where it laid against my chest. “To Oz?”
Carter rolled his eyes while Esme and Tyran shot me quizzical looks.
“Never mind. Let’s go.” I hooked my elbow through Esme’s and led her out the door of the small chapel.
She stopped me in the courtyard. “I have to say goodbye to Brother Michael.”
“We’ll wait here.” Tyran settled on a bench and pulled his hood down over his eyes.
She walked along a stone corridor, disappearing behind a large, wooden door.
“How do we convince Satchel that she’s the powerful queen this land needs?” I paced in front of the bench.
Tyran removed his hood and sighed. “No napping for the weary when you’re around, little girl.” He set his hands on his knees. “He might think more highly of her than you perceive.”
“He didn’t even want her holding a sword.”
To convince such a male chauvinist that his meek girlfriend was destined to be more powerful than him seemed like an impossible task. In my time with Esme, I saw beyond her outer shell into someone who was not only strong, but kind, patient, loyal, and humble. Maybe Satchel saw these qualities, too. It was his own male outer-persona that blocked who he really was from others. I could only hope.
“People change.” Carter caressed my arm. “You changed me. Esme can change Satchel. Give it time.”
“We’ll see if they even make it back alive from the battlefield,” I grumbled, having too little faith in Satchel’s reform.
After Esme said her good-byes, we followed the open grasslands beside the ocean. This journey would be more treacherous than the last one because we’d enter Athena’s realm of influence. With our pendants securely fastened around our necks, her persuasions couldn’t touch us, but those loyal to her would capture us in a heartbeat if they knew our plans.
“Within the next mile, we’ll have to enter the protection of the forest.” She led us along a trail that veered away from the ocean. “Though it’s the quicker route, there’s nowhere to hide out here.”
Secretly, I hoped that Tyran would get us out of this whole mess. Having a powerful magician on your side had to count for something. If Athena’s soldiers attacked, he’d protect us with one of his shields. The only magic we’d come across behind the Red Door, besides Wren, were Athena’s pheromones, and those were now taken care of with the security measures around our necks.
Inside the forest, every snap of a stick spooked me, but we continued on until we saw a campfire in the distance. Evening had settled in and more than once we’d thought about stopping and starting our own fire.
“I’ll scout ahead,” Tyran whispered over his shoulder. “I’ll muffle the sound of my footsteps.”
The three of us huddled behind a group of bushes. I longed to be near the warmth of the fire as I clutched my jacket closer to me. By this point, my teeth were chattering so much I was sure the people at the campsite could hear them. Carter wrapped one arm around me, and the other around Esme, pulling us closer.
I could have cleaned my entire room by the time Tyran returned. He settled into our huddle.
“It’s Jaco,” he spoke so softly that I could barely hear him. “Not sure what he looks like, but Brek was there.” His eyes flashed to mine before he adverted them. He held something back.
I pulled free from Carter’s arm. “I’m going to get him.”
“You can’t, little girl,” Tyran spoke firmly. “From what you’ve told me about this Jaco guy, he’s not going to let you escape a second time. Besides, Brek doesn’t seem so devastated to be there.”
I stood on my tiptoes, trying to get a better glimpse at the people by the campfire. “What’s that supposed to mean? He’s got to be worried sick about where I am.”
“I’m sure he is.” Tyran smirked. “After all, the world does revolve around you.”
“You don’t know anything about him.” Though my words were a hushed whisper, it felt like I was shouting. “He’s frantic right now. I’m sure he’s planning his own escape to find me.”
“Sure.” He glanced at the campsite. “At the same time he’s kissing another girl.”
“What?” I edged closer to see what was really going on. My sweaty palms gripped the bark on a fallen tree. It was still too far. “I don’t believe you. Ever since I met you, all you’ve wanted to do was to get me going. It’s not working this time.”
He lifted his hood over his head to mask his jack-o-lantern smile. “It already has.”
I climbed over the tree, hopping down to a rock. “Well, are you coming? We can’t defeat Athena and her soldiers on our own.” I tugged on my braid. “As much as I hate to admit it, Jaco can increase our odds.”
The magician already straddled the tree, ready to follow me to the campsite. Carter and Esme refused to move.
“No way.” Carter waved one of his hands in the air. “You don’t know what he did to us, Tyran. And you should know better.” He crossed his arms as he glared at me. “We’ll find another way.”
“Brek’s over there and I’m not leaving him.” I crossed my arms in response to his defiance. “Either you’re coming with me, or you can go do the whole Athena thing without me.”
Exhilaration shot through me with the thought of our first real fight. It would be a turn on if I had time for that kind of thing.
“Fine.” Carter huffed and climbed over the tree.
Come on, Reyes. You gave in too quickly. I’d expect much more from my equal.
I was sure we sounded like a herd of elephants with our feet crunching through the leaves on the forest floor. When I glanced behind me, Esme trailed us with her head down.
When we neared the camp, one of the soldiers jumped in front of us with his hand on his hilt.
“Relax,” I called out. “It’s just me, the queen.” Not exactly a regal manner. It wasn’t like I was getting any more lessons from Maree or Krashid.
“Covington!” A giant white blur crossed the campsite and engulfed me in his arms. Brek smelled of smoke and body odor, but I didn’t care.
The others went to greet members of Jaco’s party; Carter stood beside us, shuffling his feet in the leaves.
I melted further into Brek’s embrace, refusing to let go. My body was trembling. He was alive.
He stroked the top of my head and placed a hand on my shoulder as if to pu
sh me away, but I gripped him even tighter.
He chuckled. “I’m not going to disappear.”
“How can you prove that?” I wiped my nose on his shirt. “You left me at Jaco’s place so you could go off and play soldier.”
This time he insisted on creating a gap between us. He stared at me. Bruises covered his face, including his eye. “I was fighting Athena’s guards to protect you. I’d never leave you unless it was for a good reason.”
“Are those battle wounds?” I touched the dark purple hue that ran along his cheekbone. They were fresh from recent hand-to-hand combat.
He turned his head to the side; his eyes hooded in what appeared to be shame. Carter gripped my arm.
“Megan.” Jaco’s shadowy figure approached from the woods. His dark locks were tied up in a messy knot at the crown of his head. “I come home to find my guards slaughtered and Maree with an arrow in her head.” He unsheathed a long knife from under his tunic. “You have some explaining to do.”
22
Carter moved in front of me. I gripped the back of his shirt, intent on getting him out of the way. Jaco wouldn’t think twice about turning my boyfriend into a human shish kabob. The leader’s shirt was blood stained. Deep gashes were visible on both his arms and legs.
“Move out of my way, or you’re a dead man.” He advanced on Carter, who held his stance.
I squirmed around him then spread my arms out. Jaco’s face was inches from mine. Over the years of playing cards with Brek and his parents, I’d developed quite the poker face. There was no way I’d give up my new revelations about Esme. As far as Jaco was concerned, the monarchy would continue as planned. With his help to overthrow Athena, I’d become his queen.
“It was a distraction.” I didn’t budge. “Athena sent Farra to kidnap me while you were off entertaining her guards.” My teeth ran across my bottom lip, which was a sure sign to Brek that I was lying, but I’m sure Jaco was clueless.
His eyes flickered as if daring me to cross him. He leaned in even closer.
The Red Door Page 16