Perilous Light

by Alyssa Rose Ivy

  “Fine. I will be nearby, though; she should not be without a Guardian.” James insinuated that Liam’s protection was inferior to his own.

  “I get it. We’ll be back soon.” Liam didn’t even glance back at James; his eyes stayed on me.

  “I’m not going to pretend to understand exactly how you feel right now, but I’m here for you. Remember that, okay?” Liam broke off some bark from the tree I leaned against.

  “Thanks, I appreciate it. I feel so overwhelmed. My emotions are almost supercharged here, and I have no idea how to control them. I don’t remember it being so bad last year, but then again, I didn’t have much time to think about it.”

  “Well maybe when we find your mom, we’ll get some answers.”

  “I hope so.” I smiled. “I’m sorry you have to come with me instead of going with Kevin. I’m sure you would rather be with him.” I wanted Liam to know that I understood.

  “Why would I rather go with Kevin?” Liam looked puzzled.

  “He’s your best friend.”

  “You’re my friend too, you know. Besides, would I really give up the chance to annoy James some more?”

  I laughed. “Good point.”

  “So you think you’re ready to head back?”

  “Sure, I just needed a minute.”

  “We all do sometimes. Shall we?” Liam gestured toward the path.

  We walked back and met up with James. The guards at the edge of the cave entrance stepped out of the way to let us enter. A large crowd had converged around a fire, and I noticed Kevin, Samantha, and Henry huddled together. I figured they were discussing their plans for the next day.

  I watched Samantha for a moment. It wasn’t hard to see what attracted Kevin. She was gorgeous, but she also had a strength about her that I envied. I just looked at her and knew she was completely confident, but not in an obnoxious way.

  “Charlotte!” Tearing my gaze from Samantha, I saw Tara running over to me, hand in hand with a guy who had to be in his mid- to late-twenties.

  “Tara! It’s so good to see you.” I had missed my cousin a lot. She had been a real comfort during my time in Bellgard, and it was wonderful to see her outside of the castle. She appeared so different from the last time I had seen her. She was full of life and contentment. Tara could have easily been the one in my position, forced apart from the man she loved and with the weight of Energo on her shoulders. I swallowed down the jealousy I felt at her happiness, and smiled.

  “Charlotte, this is Owen.” Tara patted the arm of the man by her side.

  He beamed at her before turning his attention to me. “It is an honor to meet you, our Essence. I am Owen Ashwell.”

  “Ashwell? So you’re another one of Henry’s brothers?”

  He chortled. “Yes. Although it is not often that I am referred to as Henry’s brother. He is the baby of the family while I am the oldest.”

  “Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Your brother has been a good friend. It’s nice to meet more of his family.” I was beginning to see a pattern with the Ashwell boys—tall, blond, and attractive. I could understand Tara’s interest in him, even though he was so much older.

  “We will be family once Tara and I are officially united. With the current state of affairs, we have had to postpone, but it will be soon.”

  “Wow. That’s great.” Uniting was the Energo version of marriage. Calvin had talked to me about it during our few days together in Bellgard.

  “And you must be Liam.” Owen reached out to shake Liam’s hand.

  “Yes. You’ve heard of me?” Liam wrinkled his brow.

  Owen nodded. “I heard you are quite the shot with a crossbow.”

  “Oh, that. Yeah, well, you step up to the challenges life gives you, right?”

  “I agree completely. But come now, you both must be hungry.” When he said both, I realized James wasn’t with us anymore.

  Dinner was bland with small portions. There were lots of mouths to feed and not a lot of food. It really wasn’t a problem for me. I was so nervous and on edge that I probably couldn’t have eaten much anyway. I did make sure to finish off my plate; I didn’t want to waste what little we had.

  After dinner, Theodore led us to a crowded room with at least fifty cots. It had the feel of a rescue shelter during a hurricane. I had felt the tension at dinner, but it was magnified by the emptiness of the large sleeping area.

  “I’m sorry I cannot offer you better accommodations, Charlotte, but space is limited. I assume you will be comfortable enough for tonight?” Theodore braced himself for my response, as if he expected me to complain. I wondered if my mother had been high maintenance.

  “Yes, that’s fine.” I slipped under the blankets of one of the cots, and Monty and Kevin took beds on either side of me. I said some goodnights and closed my eyes, knowing I was getting ready to face a long day.

  Chapter Six

  Calvin

  “I have already explained it to you, William. I know that Charlotte loves me and that any kiss she had with James meant nothing.”

  I was tired of having the same argument with William. He had only been back a few hours, but would not relent. Even though the words were true, I hated to speak them. The thought of Charlotte kissing another man, especially one of the Guardians, made me ill. Already fighting the agony of her absence, having to worry about James touching her did not make it any easier.

  “I do not understand why you refuse to retrieve her. She is your Essence, and it is fully within your rights as her Gerard.” William took out his frustration on me as we sparred in one of the interior courtyards.

  “I am not bringing her back against her will. I will never force Charlotte into anything again.” One of the many things I learned from Charlotte’s absence was that she was not like the other girls I knew. She would not be told what to do; she had to make her own decisions. William was not the only one practicing more aggressively that day. He momentarily lost his footing after I nearly sliced him with my sword.

  “You cannot mean to allow her to stay with James. What if he tries to do more than kiss her?” William might have been my friend and confidant, but he was pushing the limits of my patience with the insinuation. If I were a less honorable man, I would have drawn blood for that comment, but I controlled my anger. I had no doubt that I would kill James if he took his advances further. Charlotte belonged to me whether she chose to stay away or not.

  “He would not dare. Even James Mendel would not steal the Essence’s honor.” Easily blocking William, I knocked his sword out of his hand. My limited traditional training did not prevent me from defeating any man I sparred with. William was no exception. Being the Gerard imbued me with a strength and skill that only continued to grow.

  William retrieved his sword before retreating to lean against a column. “What do you mean to do, then?”

  “I will continue to wait. She will return one day, and when she does, I will appeal to her and try to win back her trust.” What I did not tell William was that I would not be above groveling at her feet to regain her favor.

  “I only say this for your own good. It is unwise for you to delay reuniting with Charlotte much longer. Your power will be substantially greater when you join together.”

  I knew that he spoke truthfully. I needed her and could not handle much more time apart. The Gerard and Essence were never meant to be separated; every part of me craved her. It had been more than a year’s time and still not a single night had gone by without me dreaming of having her back. Thinking of our short time together, I frequently felt bitter regret for wasting so much of it with her locked in the dungeon.

  I had begun making mistakes the night of our ceremony. That was supposed to be our night; we were supposed to spend it in each other’s arms, reveling in each other. The ceremony constituted a union. We were officially bonded with no need for any other formalities. Instead, I had brushed away my concern over her sudden change in demeanor after speaking to Blake, and blindly let her return
to her room with no explanation.

  William liked to remind me of it. “From the beginning you have let her make all of the decisions. Is it not time for you to take over?” He stared at me with a stony expression.

  I had thought about going to her room after leaving the celebration. I even got close enough that the guard offered me admission, but at the last second, I decided not to disturb her sleep. Everything was so new to Charlotte, and I did not want her to think that my appearing in her room so late at night implied any expectation for her to do anything she was not ready for. I understood that she was not prepared for a physical relationship, and I was patient.

  “William, as much as I desire to see Charlotte, she will not be taken as a prisoner. I will wait for her to come to me.” I just did not know how much longer I could wait. As if in answer, a sensation of heat flowed through me. I stopped speaking and let my sword fall to the ground.

  “Calvin? Are you ill?” William asked with genuine concern, his frustration from earlier slipping away.

  Looking up at William, I was almost unable to speak the words. “She is back.”

  “Speak again? Charlotte is back in Energo?”

  “Yes, I can feel it.” My entire body reacted. It was as though a part of me long dormant had been turned back on. An image of Charlotte flashed before my eyes. In the momentary glimpse, I noticed her long brown hair was pulled back, and the sadness on her face was unmistakable. My body jolted. I could also sense where she was. When I had given Charlotte the rose pendant the night after she was released from the dungeon, I had not expected to need it so soon. I never imagined she would leave my side. The rose allowed me to track her within Energo. All Gerards gave similar tokens to their Essences. I had felt some guilt when I realized she did not understand its significance, but it had to be done.

  The time apart made my physical reaction to Charlotte’s return incredibly strong. I never anticipated it would be so clear. I often fantasized that the power of the crystal rose failed, and Charlotte would walk through the doors of the castle to find me. Shaking off my thoughts, I let myself breathe in the realization that Charlotte had returned.

  “Do you want me to bring her to you?” William asked.

  “Not yet, but soon.” As tempting as it was to have him leave immediately, I reminded myself of the words I had spoken to him earlier. It had to be Charlotte’s will.

  I recognized that Charlotte was back in Energo for reasons other than a reunion with me. She had returned to help the Resistance. Blake had consulted with me on a plan to take out the Resistance, since he had discovered their base. I did not like to think about the kind of death toll that would bring to my people. Even though I refused to bring Charlotte to me against her will, I needed to see her. If for no other purpose, I had to make sure she was safe.

  “Tell me when, but once again, I stress you should not wait long.”

  “I understand your view, William.” I struggled to keep my voice steady, but the thought of how close Charlotte was unnerved me. “Do you not have other work to attend to?”

  “Of course.”

  After I sent William on his way, I allowed myself a moment to close my eyes and imagine what it would be like to be with Charlotte again. I could almost feel her body in my arms, the taste of her lips. I could picture the way she looked at me as though I were the only man alive. As hard as it was to pull myself out of my imaginings, there was work to be done. I put my thoughts of Charlotte away until the evening, when I could be with her in my dreams.

  Chapter Seven

  Kevin

  We left the caves at dawn. I didn’t look forward to the journey, and I was exhausted before we left. It was difficult to say goodbye to Charlotte, after only one day together, we were going our separate ways. For years, it had just been us. Up in Alaska, Dad had never been around, and as much as we got on each other’s nerves, we were close. Leaving her to go away to school was hard enough; walking away from her knowing that she could be captured at any time was terrifying.

  Samantha caught up to me as we headed to the shores of the Lenia Ocean after a long morning of hiking. “She is going to be fine. She can take care of herself; she is the Essence.”

  “I know she’s the Essence, but she doesn’t understand her abilities, and neither do I.” No matter what anyone called her, Charlotte was still my little sister, and I wanted to protect her.

  “Whether she understands or not, the power is within her. Hopefully, she will find your mother and get proper instruction. But that is not what is really bothering you, is it?”

  “What do you mean?” I searched Samantha’s face, looking for a clue as to what she was implying.

  “You do not want anyone else doing your job. But the truth is that Monty, Liam, Lawson, and James can protect her as well as you can.”

  “That’s not it…” I started to argue, but then stopped. When I thought about it, Samantha was dead on.

  “Do not even try to deny it; I am always right. You will figure that out one day.” I thought she was being serious for a second, until she laughed. I had never heard Samantha really laugh. I liked it.

  “So what was your year like? Did you really train recruits the whole time?” I struggled to make conversation, a new experience I didn’t enjoy.

  “It kept me busy, and I was glad to help. This is the first time I have been away from the caves since you left.” Samantha fidgeted with the straps of her pack. It was such a normal action that it made her seem less intimidating somehow.

  “So you didn’t mind staying put the whole time?”

  “No. Not really. I have spent most of my life at the caves. I know that I am good at teaching combat, and I did my job well. When you believe in the cause, no sacrifice is too much.” Back in my world, hearing a gorgeous girl make a comment like that would seem off, but it seemed so natural coming from Samantha that it didn’t surprise me. In a world full of traditional women, I’d managed to fall for a warrior chick, maybe because I liked a good fight.

  Henry caught up with us. He had fallen behind for a while, probably trying to give us space. “We are getting close. We need to veer right.” We were supposed to meet up with Naomi at the shoreline. She had gone ahead to make sure the path was safe and to find us a boat. Having someone in your group who could shift into a cat came in handy when you wanted to stay under the radar.

  “Great, we are making good time.” Samantha picked up her pace, and Henry and I matched her.

  “So is the place we’re going like Energo?” I asked.

  Henry laughed. “Not exactly.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Just wait and see.”

  ***

  The smell of salt let me know that we were almost there. Some people hated the smell of the ocean, but I’d always loved it. Even from a distance, I could hear the waves lapping at the shore as birds that looked and sounded a lot like seagulls flew overhead. The Lenia Ocean appeared as endless as the Atlantic Ocean I grow up around, and I was momentarily overwhelmed when we reached the shore. The bright green water reminded me that I wasn’t home. The colors in Energo were intense.

  Naomi appeared bored as she lounged against a single-sail boat docked at the marina. The small sailboat looked tiny squeezed between two massive steamships.

  Naomi straightened as we approached. “Nice of you to show up.”

  “Does everything look all right?" Samantha asked.

  “Yes. And as you can see, I found a vessel.” Naomi gestured to the boat behind her. On closer inspection, it wasn’t quite as small as I originally thought. There were several lower levels below deck. I noticed that the hull looked worn, and I couldn’t help but feel apprehensive about boarding it.

  Samantha eyed Naomi suspiciously. “I see that. Is it ours alone?”

  “Not exactly.”

  As if on cue, a short round man in a red pinstripe suit with a matching hat walked onto the dock. “Captain Everling at your service. Welcome aboard the Ulta Storm.” The man
bowed so low I was afraid he wouldn’t be able to get back up.

  “Could you excuse us for a second?” Samantha asked.

  “Of course. Come aboard when you are ready.”

  As soon as the man disappeared onto the boat, Samantha grabbed Naomi’s arm. “You hired a misa?”

  “There were no other options.”

  “What’s a misa? And are you sure this thing isn’t going to sink?” I didn’t like Samantha’s uneasiness.

  “A misa is a kind of water taxi, but the passengers do some of the work,” Henry supplied.

  “Okay, so why is Samantha upset?”

  “Why am I upset? Who knows what other passengers it will take on? It could be a trap. Blake already wants you dead, Kevin. You have a target on your back.” I had never seen Samantha so keyed up.

  “So you’re worried about my safety now?” I couldn’t resist the jab.

  “I am worried about beating Blake, and we need you alive if we are going to win.” Samantha closed her eyes for a second and let out a deep breath. “Naomi, did you really think it wise to hire a misa?”

  “Why do you think I picked this one? Is anyone really going to search for a Winthrop on a boat that is falling apart?”

  “Fair enough, but we need to be careful.”

  Captain Everling wobbled out and gestured for us to join him. “If you are coming aboard, you need to come now.”

  As we boarded the Ulta Storm, the floorboards creaked, making me even more leery of its seaworthiness. Realizing I didn’t really have a choice, I decided not to worry about it.

  “It has been a long time, Naomi.” Two blue figures moved toward us as we walked onto the deck. My first thought was of the Blue Man Group. I half expected them to pull out drumsticks, and I was prepared to see paint flying everywhere. Beyond the color, they looked human. Though the guy and girl were around my age, which made me a bit more comfortable, their color was hard to take in. I attempted to hide my surprise, but evidently, I wasn’t successful.