He provided me with a death glare then shoved them under his butt.
I sighed, gave him my own nasty look and said, “Give me your hands, or you’ll know what it feels like to have an arrow pierce your heart from five feet away.”
He muttered a swear word under his breath before he held both of his hands in front of him. I wrapped the belt twice around his wrists and attached the buckle to a metal ring on the wall, forcing him to raise his arms above his head. It killed me to tie him up. But he’d be safer here for now. Jaco was the only one with green capsules, and we didn’t have time to scout out the other flank of the rebellion.
“Where’s the key?” Esme demanded as she dropped her weapon.
He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. “I’ll never tell you.” His eyes opened, again in their far off place. “I know why you want the magicians. You’re here to assassinate the queen. But right now, they’re her life source.”
Esme’s mouth hung open as she paced the room. “Athena’s dying.” She slapped her forehead. “Of course.” Her eyes were on the computer screen again. “She can’t maintain the strength of her own pheromones so she’s having to rely on outside sources of power. After she drains these two, she’ll find other magical beings.”
“Brek.” I swallowed. She’d just promoted him to captain of the guard. Did she know about his magic?
“Where’s the key?” I shouted, unable to control my anger when it came to my best friend’s safety. I removed the knife from my boot and held it beneath Ricky’s neck. “Tell me where the key is, or I slit your throat.”
He glanced down at his chest.
With his wrists bound above his head, I unbuttoned the top of his shirt. A red string tied securely around his neck snaked along his chest hairs. I yanked the key out from beneath his shirt.
I rushed over to Tyran and removed the magical cuffs from his wrists. When I tossed them to the side, he groaned. Color returned to his face as he slowly lifted a lid to one of his eyes to peek at me.
“Little girl,” he said in a raspy whisper. He lifted the corner of his lips. “Might have to change your name to mighty warrior.”
“Remember that when we get you out of here alive, you big lug.” I punched his shoulder and tossed the key to Esme. “Is your magic returning?”
“Some,” he said, his voice barely audible over the creaking of Ricky moving around on the cot. “She’s drained a lot of my power.”
Wren seemed to be in a similar predicament after Esme removed her cuffs. Her auburn hair fell in sheets over her face, even after she roused from her unconscious state. A groaning noise came from somewhere deep within her body.
“You got this.” Tyran wrapped an arm around his fellow magician, propping her up. “I know if feels like a massive hangover right now, but you’ll snap out of it soon enough.”
“We need you ready, sooner rather than later.” Esme peered out the door to the room. “We’ve got trouble.”
25
A red light flashed like a disco ball above my head, and seconds later, an alarm broke out in a high-pitched frenzy. I covered my ears and ran to the other side of the room to join Esme. About a dozen guards marched down the hall in our direction, weapons drawn. The two of us would never be able to take them on our own.
Tyran staggered a couple of steps, then stumbled, catching himself on the end of the cot. I rushed over to help him. If he could squeeze a tenth of his usual power out, we might be able to defeat the zombie soldiers.
His body felt like a lump of bony potatoes as I dragged him to the door. Esme stepped aside to let him do his work, whatever that may be. The magician conjured up a shiny red ball of fire, drew back his arm and threw it at the guards. They ducked as the product of his magic dissipated into a puff of smoke.
“That’s it?” I guess my standards were set way too high in the magic department, even at a tenth of his power.
The guards, realizing they were still alive, stood and continued their march toward us.
“Is there any other way out?” I searched the room, pushing furniture and computers aside, trying to find another secret passageway. “Like in our cell?”
Esme drew back her bow and shot an arrow into the hall. She must’ve hit someone because I could hear the shouts breaking out.
“I’ve already looked.” She drew back her bow, determined to take down the enemy the old-fashioned way. “Tyran, can you try again?”
He shrugged, and I found his lack of confidence disturbing. The man who had protected us behind the Green Door now needed our protection.
Closing his eyes, Tyran lifted his arms above his head. The air around us sucked us in, like we were in a vacuum. A loud crack came from the hall. The walls shook. I held my hands over my head, afraid the whole palace might come crashing down around me.
But somehow, he kept his magic contained to the hallway. I glanced out from my crouched position by the cot. Ricky’s eyes were wide and glued on the entrance to the room.
The magician walked in, brushing bits of dust and drywall off his cape. “I’d say that about takes care of them or any other poor fool who wants to use the main entrance to the great hall.
Esme looked over at Wren. The girl’s head rolled backwards against the wall. She’d taken the whole power drain thing a lot worse than Tyran.
“Stay here, Meg.” Esme already had one foot out the door. “Watch over Wren and Ricky, and we’ll take care of Athena.”
Now that wasn’t going to happen. Both Carter and Brek were in there, and I wasn’t going to leave their rescue up to others, no matter how much I trusted them. “They’ll be fine.” I held my knife out in front of me. “Now let’s go kick some royal ass.”
The lights flickered in the hall, probably from a power source being partially cut off from Tyran’s magical display of dominance. Maybe he could teach Brek how to do that someday. Athena’s creepy love songs played off-tune, like a warped record.
“So, let me get this straight.” Tyran touched Esme’s shoulder. “The plan is for the three of us to take down Athena, her guards, and the entire court?”
She continued past the room where we’d been held prisoner. “No. The plan is for the three of us, Brek and Carter to take down Athena, her guards, the entire court, and Jaco if need be.”
Tyran chuckled. “And if the other two are incapacitated?”
“You mean under her spell?” I practically had to jog to keep up. If both of them were lost to her pheromones, it would take me back to the sirens in the Green Door, a place I so didn’t want to be.
“You have to be prepared, little girl, for whatever state we find them in.”
We finally reached the massive doors of the throne room. The deep red color of the wood appeared as if they’d been washed in blood. Esme reached up and pulled down on the latch, the sound echoing through the cavernous space. The knife shook in my grip. This was it. We’d either survive this and claim the jewel, or die in the battle.
Tyran entered first, the two of us on his heels. The courtiers parted as we marched by in our white, black and brown clothing. Whispers rose up beside us as the room slowly fell into silence. I kept my eyes on the magician’s back, not daring to look up at the throne. When would Athena give the order?
Reaching the end of the carpeted aisle, I forced myself to lift my eyes. My heart stopped. The queen sat on her throne with a smile that was nothing but pure wickedness. Beside her, sitting on a similar throne, was Carter. He wore a wretched, blue-and-black plaid suit and a makeshift crown on his head. He glared at me with the same hatred I’d seen in his eyes with the siren.
On Athena’s other side was Brek. He had a hand on her shoulder, providing her with a gentle massage. He held a spear. She must’ve taken their pendants.
“I’m glad you could join us.” The joy in her voice filled the entire room. “You’re here in time for the coronation of our new king. The bachelorette queen is finally ready to settle down with her soul mate.” She gave Carter an eyelash f
lutter.
He smiled at her, his dimples protruding and patted her hand before turning his death glare back on me. “Anyone,” he said, letting his words echo through the chamber, his eyes never leaving mine, “who threatens my queen will have to deal with me.” He stood up in front of his throne. His football shoulders had never been intimidating to me, but he could crush me into a pile of dust.
During this whole twisted display of power, I sensed the courtiers drawing closer behind us. What was the plan? Tyran was incredible with his magic, Esme a pro with her bow and arrow, and I was a girl who happened to have a knife. We didn’t have Wren’s magic. We didn’t have Brek’s magic. We didn’t have Carter’s cunning. But worst of all, at the moment, we didn’t have Jaco’s men.
Athena rose up from her throne to stand beside Carter. “The three of you will die for your crimes against this monarchy.” She nodded and the crowd not only moved closer, but someone grabbed my arms.
Tyran’s voice boomed over the murmurings of the crowd. “Enough!” He raised his arms and at least a hundred courtiers, including the one that held me, were thrown through the air, smashing into the back wall of the room. My heart rate accelerated with hope. He was back in all his glory.
Athena seemed to think nothing of it. “We could have been so good together, Tyran. A real power couple.” Her mouth twisted into a smirk; her eyes inspected him from head to toe. “Not as good to look at as my current king, but the lovemaking could have been extremely interesting.”
“Shut up!” The magician’s voice boomed again. “You’re the one who will die for your crimes today.”
He held up his arms again.
“Stop!” Athena screamed then lowered her voice. “You don’t realize the power I have.” The evil smile returned to her lips. “Brekken, dear?”
He stepped forward, his back straight in attention.
“Kill yourself.”
“No!” I rushed towards the throne, ignoring Tyran and Esme’s protests.
As I approached the stairs, Brek removed a knife from his belt and raised it above his heart. I took the stairs two at a time, but Carter was there to restrain me. The weapon flashed in the lights of the throne room as Brek brought it down into his chest.
I crumpled in Carter’s grip. My own chest heaved in sobs. The room swirled around me in hues of red and pink. A deeper red bled through the fabric of his pink shirt as he fell to the ground in a heap. Not caring anymore, I slammed my heel down on Carter’s foot and twisted around to knee him in the groin. He released me, hopping around the platform in pain.
I collapsed beside my best friend, gathering him into my arms. His eyelids remained closed—lifeless. This was not supposed to be how his life ended. Wren might not have been my ideal for his trophy wife, but she made him happy. Now it was all going down the drain. For what? So I could go to college. So Rosenbaum could have his stupid jewel.
Tears streamed down my cheeks as I lowered my ear to his chest. He’d struck himself below his heart, maybe because deep down he knew he wasn’t ready for his life to end. But what did that mean? There weren’t any hospitals with an expert team of doctors to save him. Athena was sure to rip me away from him.
A side door to the throne room burst open. Jaco held up a sword, looking slightly like a Valentine’s Day cupid in his pink and red uniform. Or maybe he was our Valentine’s Day savior.
“Take no prisoners!” he shouted over the screams of the courtiers. The leader set his eyes on the queen.
Athena wobbled behind her throne and threw open a trapdoor in the platform. She sat down on the edge, pushed herself forward, and disappeared.
Esme must’ve seen the same thing, because she raced up the stairs, pushing Athena’s worshippers aside. The female courtiers screamed as they fell to the floor, one after the other, in a flourish of heels and satin. Esme sat down on the edge of the hole and followed the rabbit trail behind Athena. I leaned down and kissed Brek on the forehead, wiping my tearstained cheeks on my sleeve.
“Don’t worry.” Tyran crouched beside me, throwing a spell at anyone who came near us. “I’ll watch over him. You go do what you were born to do.”
My grip loosened slightly on Brek’s arm, knowing deep down that he was right, but I needed to verify. “What’s that?”
“You’re our mighty warrior.” He placed a palm on my hand and a surge of his energy filled me with a renewed mission. “Do this for Brekken.”
I crawled along the floor, ducking beneath the arrows that whizzed above my head. When I reached the trapdoor, Carter was waiting for me, with the diabolical grin I was beginning to hate, etched on his face.
“You’re going to have to pass me to get to Athena.” He removed his stupid knife from behind his back. He puffed his chest out like he really gave into the delusion that he was king of this whack-job of a monarchy.
I let a tiny smile pull on my own lips. If my phone was charged, I’d post a picture of him in this getup on social media. But it wasn’t, and I wasn’t that cruel. He was my secret boyfriend, even if he happened to currently be in love with a woman old enough to be his mother.
Before I had a chance to take care of Carter on my own, Satchel hit him over the head with the butt of his sword, knocking him out cold. That would hopefully keep him safe until I returned.
“Thanks.” I shot Satchel a smile. “Wasn’t quite sure how I was going to deal with him.”
“Not a problem.” He sheathed his sword and jumped through the trapdoor. He must’ve seen his fiancée exit the same way.
I hung my legs over the side and took the leap. The shaft ended up being a giant escape slide. I clutched my stomach as it twisted around and around through the darkness. When I finally reached the end, it unloaded me onto a giant mattress in a room lit only by an open door. I scrambled to my feet, determined to be a help to my friends.
Outside the room was a tunnel leading in two directions. A stream of water flowed to the right, telling me that if Athena was headed out of her palace, she’d go that way. Aric had told us of the underground river that led beyond the wall of the city. Maybe this was a branch of it. I had to cut her off before she escaped. Satchel only had a thirty second lead on me, while Esme and Athena had minutes. Although I had no further doubts about my friend’s abilities, I couldn’t let Esme face the wicked queen alone.
26
My feet ached in the cold water, but I kept my pace at a jog, hoping to catch someone. The tunnel narrowed and then branched off in three directions. I stopped to listen. Water sloshed against my ankles and my teeth chattered. Above those sounds, I heard faint voices.
I sprinted toward them, slipping a couple of times in the icy stream. My pants were soaked. Right now, I wanted a warm fire and my pajamas, but if there was any way I could help Esme and Satchel, I had to keep going. The need to have Carter and Brek by my side clanged inside of me.
Brek.
What if Tyran couldn’t save him? What if I he died before I got back?
I pushed the negative thoughts aside. Athena’s defeat was what mattered now.
The tunnel opened up into a control room. Enormous pipes lined the walls, running in what seemed like hundreds of different directions. Steam escaped from joints in the metal. A deafening noise filled the room, making me realize that the voices I’d heard had been shouts.
Athena stood on top of one of the pipes with a meat cleaver. Her face was bright red, and she swung her weapon around, shouting obscenities at Esme.
Every time Satchel dared to step closer to Athena, she turned her wrath on him. “Do you think the little, blonde whore will make a better queen than me?”
Satchel smirked despite the circumstances. “I only see one whore in this room. And her hair ain’t blonde.”
I stepped out of the tunnel, my legs shaking. “It’s time for the true queen to take her position as ruler of Rushna.” I held my knife out in front of me, like it was part of a cheap Halloween costume. “The prophesied queen is ready to take the throne.”
“And I suppose that’s you.” She drew her cheeks inward and hocked a loogie on the ground in front of her, accentuating her disgusting appearance. “Well, that’s what I think of you. The only thing you had going for you was a hot boyfriend who’ll soon be my husband. You’re nothing but a scrawny girl who thinks it’s time to play hero.”
“At least I’m not a bully, or someone who has to use magic to get people to like her.” I moved closer to Esme, who had her arrow notched and aimed at Athena.
“Step down and keep your life.” Esme’s powerful voice boomed through the chamber—a thunderstorm coming from a wispy cloud.
Satchel’s sword dropped slightly as he shot confused looks between his fiancée and the queen.
“My guards will be here soon.” A satisfied smile crossed Athena’s face. “Then, I’ll watch them tear you apart, one piece at a time.” The sound of quick footsteps echoed through the tunnel. “In fact, here they come now.
Satchel turned his eyes away from Athena to the tunnel. The queen drew her arm back and threw the cleaver at him as hard as she could. A flash of white crossed in front of me, intercepting the weapon before it could hit its intended target. With the blade buried deep in her back, Esme fell to a heap on the ground.
“Esme!” Satchel fell to his knees, his red hair enveloping her face as he lifted her to his chest.
Seeing a very similar scene play out in front of my eyes, my heart clenched as my friends fell like soldiers on a battlefield. First Brek and now Esme. With the guards closing in, the beat of their boots getting closer, I gathered every bit of courage I had left.
I ran at Athena with my knife drawn. Water burst out of the pipe seams, making it difficult to see where I was going. A metal ladder climbed up the side of the main pipe where the queen stood, still unaffected by the water. I wiped my eyes with my sleeve, but it didn’t help a thing. Through the onslaught, I bit down on the knife with my teeth, found the bottom rung, and began to climb. Athena must’ve been scared because she kept swearing at me.
The Red Door Page 19