When I reached the top, she reached for a copper pipe above her head to steady herself, taking a step away from me. I grasped the same pipe, inching my feet along the slick surface.
I held my knife out in front of me. “Give me your crown.”
“Never,” she shouted over the noise coming from the pressure building in the pipes. “This is where it ends. I took Brekken from you and now I’ll take Carter.”
This woman just crossed the line. Staring at her with her leggings and oversized t-shirt pretending to be some great queen was too much. Everything snapped into place. In my world, people often saw others for their outer beauty instead of looking at the person within. Under the influence of Athena’s pheromones, the people of Rushna were doing the same thing. They saw a goddess. The rest of us saw her for who she really was—an abuser who really let herself go.
“Give me the crown or die, bitch!” I charged at her, feeling my feet slipping. I lunged forward, grasped the metal of the crown, and drove my blade at the queen.
The weight of her frame must’ve been too much as that pipe burst, causing a chain reaction in the system. The last thing I saw was the white bulge of her eyes as the water pushed her back into the gears of the machinery. I jumped backwards and fell to the floor.
I groaned, rolling to the side and grasping my arm. The impact knocked the wind out of me, but the water from the pipes kept me from an injury pity party.
The guards stood in the entrance to the room but didn’t stand in formation. They stared at each other, removed their hats, and scratched their heads.
I held my arm and ran over to Satchel, who had dragged Esme closer to the exit, away from the water. Hot tears formed behind my eyes. All of my hopes for Rushna depended on Esme as the endgame. This was not how things were supposed to go. How could anyone else be the prophesied queen?
Something deep within told me there was more to do than mourn. From the spot on Esme’s back where the cleaver stuck out, a white light emitted, first as a dull glow, but soon burst forth as a blinding sunbeam.
“I’m going to pull it out.” Without waiting for Satchel’s permission, I grasped the handle of the cleaver and pulled it from between her shoulder blades. Within the tear of her uniform, the thick gash in her skin melded together with the healing light.
The guards stared in wonder, each dropping to one knee.
One of them shouted, “She’s the prophesied queen. The one to save us from Athena!”
“All hail the queen!” the guards called in union.
Esme’s eyelids fluttered open as she lay still in Satchel’s arms.
He beamed and bent down to kiss her lips. Drawing back slightly, he gazed at her in a new way. “My queen.”
Steam spurted out of every casing at a furious pace. The whole thing was going to blow. I tucked the crown with the jewel inside my uniform.
“We’ve got to get out of here.” I pushed through the guards. “Follow me.”
Satchel carried Esme’s limp body back through the labyrinth of tunnels. Although she’d been healed, she hadn’t regained her strength. There had to be another way back up besides the slide. A loud explosion rocked the walls around us, and the sound of rushing water filled my ears. There wasn’t time to look for my ideal exit.
The room with the slide was still open, so I guided the men into it. My only hope now was the metal door would hold up to the weight of the water pressure. I latched it securely once every last person was inside.
I turned to the assembly in the room. “I’m not sure if this is going to hold. You’ve got to go back up the slide.”
“How do we do that?” Satchel held Esme to his chest; the blood from her wound had stained his pink uniform. “It must be twenty feet high.”
“Haven’t you ever climbed a slide at the playground?” When Brek and I first met in fifth grade, inside the tunnel slide at our graffiti-covered playground was our favorite hangout.
“Until today, I’ve never been on a slide.” He set his fiancée down on the mattress at the base of the slide and motioned for one of the guards. “You go first. When you get to the top, find a rope to send down.”
Once the first guard started up the tunnel, Satchel sent the next one along. It wasn’t a smooth running train. Multiple shouts and curse words echoed through the enclosure as they lost their footing and received a boot to the face. Following several excruciating minutes wondering if this was a stupid idea, a loud cheer came from the top of the slide.
Another voice wove down the twists of the slide. “Meg! Meg! Are you down there?” It was Carter, awakened from his freakish nightmare.
I rushed to the end of the slide. “I’m here! Send down the rope.”
A sound like thunder rumbled outside the metal door. Water seeped in from beneath it, but at this rate, it would take a few hours for the entire floor to be wet. Now, if only the door held up.
Shouts echoed through the tunnel as the men fed the rope from one to the other all the way to the bottom. Satchel looped the end of the rope around Esme’s waist and laid her body on the end of the slide.
“I love you, babe.” He bent down and kissed her lips, then tugged on the rope. “Bring her up slowly.”
I removed the tiara from beneath my shirt and gave it to Satchel. “Can you give this to Carter? In case I don’t make it.” I glanced back at the door.
He tilted his head. “Now come on. You’ve got more fire in you than any woman I’ve ever met. If I don’t see you crawling out of this slide in ten minutes, I’ll be shocked.”
“Just give it to Carter for me. And if Brek makes it, tell him I love him.” I pushed a strand of my hair out of my face.
Crouching down, Satchel followed Esme.
Only five soldiers remained in the room with me. The door creaked like metal bending, so I sloshed through the ankle-deep water to the other side of the room.
“You’ve got to move faster,” I yelled at the woman, ducking her head into the tunnel. “That thing’s not going to hold out much longer.”
The squealing of the metal intensified before the door exploded off its hinges, crushing one of the soldiers. Water rushed in and was at our waists in no time. Three of us remained.
The water rose to my chest. “Use the rising water to swim partway up the slide. It’s going to be slippery.” I tilted my head back, my arms moving back and forth as the water grew deeper, now over our heads. “Tell them to send down the rope.”
One of the men dove down and swam up the slide. His voice echoed through the plastic tube. I sent the second man. I wasn’t the best swimmer, so keeping my head above the surface was a struggle as my arms turned into limp noodles. I spit out mouthful of water and nodded at the last man who disappeared below the surface.
I took one last gasp of air as the water reached the ceiling. As I dove down through the water, my arms and legs refused to work. Having nowhere to go for air, my head began to spin as I desperately searched for the bottom of the slide. Even if I found it, I wouldn’t have the strength to push myself up through the enclosed space.
The water-filled world spun in front of my eyes as I drifted in what would soon be my grave. I closed my eyes as blackness encroached in on me from all sides.
27
The first thing that impressed me about Heaven was how bright it was compared to the darkness of my watery tomb. I lifted my eyelids slightly afraid I might get a headache from the light. Carter was there. Did he die, too?
His palm touched my cheek, and I shivered. It was at this moment that I realized that everything about me was wet—my clothes, my skin, my hair. Could I get hypothermia in Heaven?
“Stay with us, Meg.” Carter brought his lips down to mine and blew into my mouth. He placed his hands on my chest.
Before he could start chest compressions, I sat up. “What are you trying to do? Kill me again? I’m pretty sure the way this thing works is you only die once.”
He ran his fingers down my arm, and goose bumps protruded from my skin.
Wait a minute—I had skin. Dead people didn’t have skin.
The high ceiling of the throne room reached above me. I was pretty sure the throne room of Heaven didn’t look like the Red Palace. “But, the water… I blacked out. How did I get up here?”
“I came after you.” He smiled, showing off his dimples.
Of course, he did. He told me he loved me. There wasn’t any reason why I shouldn’t trust him.
“Where’s Brek?” I searched the sea of courtiers woken up from their dream like Sleeping Beauty. “Is he ok?” I wasn’t a doctor or anything, but I was pretty sure people just didn’t bounce back after they stab themselves in the chest—unless they had a magician for a friend. Despite the cold water that still clung to every crevice of my body, sweat formed on my brow. “Carter…” I shook his arm. “Carter, he’s not… dead?”
His lips formed a straight line, and he turned his head to the crowd. “Let him tell you himself.”
People moved to the side to let Brek and Wren through. The girl stared at my best friend like he was a god. She held tightly to his hand.
“That was a close one, wasn’t it, Covington?” His eyes were downturned, as if he were ready to have a private conversation in a room full of people. When he did look at me, his eyes were red but not in the unnatural freaky way of some of the residents of Rushna. He’d been crying.
I stood up and braced myself on the throne, my legs still as wobbly as a newborn horse. Water dripped from my clothes to the pale, pink marble floor. Brek wouldn’t let me take a single step in his direction. He dropped Wren’s hand and reached me in no time with his long runner’s legs. He pulled me into his arms, and I gladly fell into them. The exhaustion of the afternoon took over every aching muscle in my body.
The relief of seeing Brek alive almost made me forget the fact that Esme had been healed by a freakish supernatural light.
“Where are they?” I gripped his arms, my fingers digging into the material of his shirt. “Where did Satchel take Esme?”
“He hauled her up with the rope then gave me this.” Carter removed the crown from his bag. “She was in rough shape, but he wouldn’t let anyone help. He snatched her up and raced out of here.”
“We’ve got to find them.” I shook free of Brek’s hands, only to collapse onto the cold, marble floor.
Carter crouched down beside me, his arm supporting my back. “You’re not going anywhere. Can someone get her some water?”
Water? Water was the last thing I wanted. I had my share of it in the tunnel.
“Wren and I will go,” Brek said with his eyes on mine. It pained him to leave me. “You just get better.”
The magicians left through the side door. If they didn’t find Esme soon, I was afraid the people of Rushna would place someone else on the throne.
“I see you made it out alive, your majesty.” Jaco pushed through the crowd and knelt before me. His pink uniform was torn and bloodstained. It made him look more evil than I already knew he was. “You had us all worried for a while.”
“Yeah, right,” I muttered. Without me, he’d have no one to order around.
What was his plan for Rushna? Make it a huge military power and conquer other nations? The people were hurting after being abused by their leader. They needed the foreign orphan girl to create a new way of peace in the land.
“I’m not going to be the queen of Rushna,” I announced over the quiet conversations in the hall. It was something to be declared to all the people. “This man,” I pointed at Jaco, “wants me to be queen so he can control the monarchy. I think you’ve all had enough of that.”
He gave a nervous laugh, his movie-star grin across his face. “Don’t believe a word she’s saying. Everyone remembers me as an all-star general in the early days of Athena. I want what’s best for our country. This girl trained under me. In that time, I learned she’s crazy. And then, she killed my mother, Maree.”
Gasps rose up from the assembly. What a freaking liar. First, he never told me that my history teacher was his mother. Second, her lessons were long-winded, but I’d never kill her. If my legs didn’t feel like Jello, I’d show him what’s what. I slumped my shoulders. Even my attitude didn’t have its normal energy.
“That’s my girlfriend you’re talking about.” Carter hopped to his feet and stormed down the stairs. He marched up to Jaco and threw a sucker punch into his jaw.
Several of Jaco’s men grabbed Carter by the arms and held them behind his back. The former military leader shook his head as he slowly lifted himself to his feet. My boyfriend must have packed a real punch.
“You’ll regret that.” He got in Carter’s face. A real tough guy when the other guy was down. “I should’ve removed your fingers when I had a chance.” He faced the assembly. “My goal is not to upset what the people want. My goal is to continue the traditions of this great nation. My grandmother was a just ruler of Rushna. With Athena’s rule, the balance of keeping the crown in the family was upset. You all know how that turned out. And now…” He glared at me. “Now, the people are calling for a foreigner, an outsider, to be queen? How can anyone love our country as much as my family?”
“The only thing you love is power.” I stood, taking one slow step at a time down the stairs. “The only person you love is yourself.”
“What do you know about love? You’re a nothing.” He moved closer to me and touched my cheek.
I whipped my head away from him.
My words came out as a growl. “I know that love is patient and kind. It’s definitely not self-seeking.”
“So you can quote ancient writings.” He laughed and faced the crowd. “I’m sure we’re all very impressed.” A couple of the courtiers smiled at him. He did have some on his side. He placed a finger to his lip. “This is what’s going to happen. Carter assaulted the future king. He’ll be dismembered and then hang for his crimes.” His steps were calculated as if he were thinking through his elaborate death sentence. “But first, he’ll watch you die, Athena’s way. You know, for nostalgia’s sake.”
“You mean, off with my head?”
“Exactly.”
It all wore on my nerves. I wasn’t scared… yet. Where were Brek and Wren? And where did Tyran go?
Jaco nodded at the guards holding Carter. They dragged him to an alter-like table to the right of the room—a lamb led to the slaughter. One of the men splayed my boyfriend’s hand out on the wood; the other slammed his head down against it. He struggled to get free, but the men were too strong.
Crap! He was going to do this, like, now. Where were the others, already?
“Carter Reyes. You committed a crime against the future king. You aided a known killer after she killed Maree, the great granddaughter of the all-powerful Rushina, may the gods rest her soul. These deeds are punishable by death, which you will indeed face.” He turned to the crowd again and held up his hands. “Here in Rushna, we also want to make the punishment fit the crime. You assaulted me with your fist, so now you shall lose it.” He unsheathed a long knife from his waist.
It couldn’t end this way. My heart beat out of my chest as I rushed at Jaco. Despite having the strength of a sloth, I threw myself at his arm, knocking the knife from his grip. It clattered onto the marble floor.
A murmur rose from the crowd. Ricky pushed through with Tyran behind him. With his dark hair loose and unruly, my boss was back. “But his last name means king. How can you kill the one who is meant to be Rushna’s king?”
“Long live, King Carter!” A voice shouted from somewhere in the crowd.
Jaco’s face flamed red. He stomped his foot and grabbed another knife from a guard beside the table. He raised it above his head, and I shut my eyes tight, my heart threatening to explode. This couldn’t be happening. I expected to hear the distinct thud of metal hitting wood after it chopped through my boyfriend’s fingers, but no sound came except for heavy breathing and a few curse words from Jaco. I peeked to see what was happening. The maniac still had the weapon above
his head. It shook like he was trying to bring it down, but an invisible force blocked him.
I whipped around. Tyran held one hand out in from of him, a wide grin across his face. He enjoyed the maddening game he played with Jaco. With his other hand, he removed a string from under his shirt. A small, silver key rested on his chest—the key for the magical cuffs. He winked at me.
With Jaco preoccupied, Ricky climbed the stairs and spoke to the people in the room. They were already intently listening with the king comments. “And where’s the proof? You accuse this young girl of murder. Where’s the murder weapon? Were there any witnesses? Did this happen on a Sunday or a Tuesday? I’ve watched enough Law and Order to know that you can’t convict her without a judge and jury.”
“Long live, Queen Megan!” A chant rose up from the crowd again.
Heat rose to my face. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. Esme was the prophesied queen. She needed to get here soon, or these people would force me onto the throne.
Tyran flicked his wrist, sending Jaco flying across the room and into the far wall. He crumpled in a heap on the floor. The guards who held Carter released him and ran from the room.
This was it. I had to address the people before any other rogue, deranged person tried to take over the kingdom. After checking on Carter, I climbed the stairs and stood in front of the throne. I drew a deep breath in through my nose and exhaled out through my mouth. There had to be hundreds of courtiers and guards in the room. I had a difficult time giving a speech on poisonous mushrooms of the Ohio River Valley in my public speaking class with twenty other students this school year.
“The kingdom of Rushna is a mighty nation steeped in tradition and honor.” I stared down at my Vans, clearing my throat. This wasn’t me. If I was going to reach these people, I had to be myself. I focused my eyes on a young girl, no more than ten, standing in the front row. She leaned her head against the woman standing beside her. “My friends and I came here a couple of weeks ago in search of an object. But what we found was a country of zombies. Normally, when Brek and I fight zombies, we blow their heads off.”
The Red Door Page 20