by M. Leighton
When I reached the brick building that housed Transport, I walked inside and punched the elevator button. It arrived a few seconds later, its doors opening with a muted ding.
The sound was enough like Jersey’s bell to make me think of her. I hadn’t told her of my after school plans. I hadn’t even thought of them until a few minutes ago. I knew she’d be worried when she couldn’t find me. It was insensitive of me, but I really had very little choice. With a sigh, I knew I’d have to listen to a lot of bell-ringing later to make up for it.
When the elevator doors slid open to reveal the innards of Transport, I pulled up short as I was stepping off. Standing directly in front of me was Jackson. He was leaning up against a bank of computers, arms and ankles crossed, just watching the elevator. He’d known what I would do.
Jacking my chin up a notch, I marched off the elevator and stopped a couple feet in front of his imposing figure.
“Where’s Commander Jessup?”
Jackson said nothing, merely nodded his head to the right. I looked in that direction and, sure enough, standing in the open doorway of a huge conference room was Commander Jessup. His back was ramrod straight and his face was serious as a heart attack. Behind him, seated around a large table, I could see several ghostly figures. The High Council.
Slowly, I walked over to Commander Jessup. Somewhere behind me, I could hear the soft pad of Jackson’s boots as he followed. When I reached the leathery-skinned commander, he nodded curtly and swept his arm in front of him, motioning me into the conference room.
I stepped through the door and stopped. Within seconds, I could feel Jackson at my back. I didn’t need to turn to know it was him rather than Jessup. I felt his comforting presence like a warm blanket on a cool winter night.
The door shut behind me with a soft snap and Commander Jessup squeezed past me to round the table. As he passed two empty chairs, he pulled one out.
“Please, Princess, sit.”
I looked around the table at all the spectral faces and immediately regretted my hasty decision. Nevertheless, I’d come too far to back down now, so I moved to the vacant seat Jessup held and I slid quietly into it. Jessup moved on to a place near the head of the table.
“Sentinel Hamilton,” Jessup said, nodding at the chair beside me.
Jackson pulled out the chair beside me and sat. His large, looming presence helped to still my chattering nerves somewhat, but the intimidation factor of the High Council was still through the roof.
I darted a quick glance at Jackson. He looked irritatingly unaffected.
“Welcome, Princess,” one of the Council members said.
It was hard to tell which member had spoken. The voice was cool, quiet, and low—monotone, but with a decidedly masculine timbre. That helped me very little, however, since there were exactly six men and six women that comprised the High Council.
“Thank you,” I said, smiling as I scanned each face around the table.
The High Councilors looked very little like what I’d expected. As the twelve children of Neptune and his angelic wife, Salacia, the members of the High Council were the first Mer, the first of the royal line. The bloodline of every royal in existence could be traced directly back to one of them. To this day, royals were similar to them in many ways, though they were the only true immortals of our kind.
Their features were the purest exaggeration of today’s Mer royalty. It was mating with humans that caused the colorful aberrations that resulted in non-royal Mer.
Each of the twelve had long, straight silver-white hair, nearly-translucent onion-peel skin, washed out powder blue eyes and reed-thin frames. Their cool bodies could be felt in the chill air that filled the room and their blood flowed in silver streaks through veins visible beneath their skin, unlike today’s Mer whose blood ran red until it met oxygen.
All twelve pairs of eyes were sharply focused on me with a detached ambivalence that made me quite uneasy. It was at that point that I realized why Jackson was so staunchly supporting my safety above all else. He knew, as I now knew, that any of these twelve men and women would sacrifice me in a second to save Atlas.
Glancing back up at Jackson, I was thankful for his stubbornness, but also curious about it. I couldn’t help but wonder if it was only for the sake of his all-consuming work ethic that he would defy these powerful creatures or if there was another reason.
“I see that Sentinel Hamilton has learned your habits well,” one of the women said blandly.
“Pardon?” I asked.
“He arrived here less than an hour before you, explaining that you would seek our guidance. He was dubious about your willingness to go along with his plan of action.”
“With all due respect to Sentinel Hamilton, I would prefer to be on site, in hopes that we can resolve this matter quickly and with fewer casualties.”
“You would put the safety of others above that of yourself?” one of the females asked.
I nodded. “Yes.”
“That is the mark of royalty, something that Sentinel Hamilton could not possibly understand.”
“On the contrary, ma’am, he understands it better than most. In fact, he risks his life for others every day.”
“I doubt that, Princess. Sentinel Hamilton is no doubt a fine example of a guardian, but he could never understand what it truly means to be royal.”
“Is it not true that a royal is suspected of having betrayed us?”
I heard Jessup gasp, a barely audible hiss. I knew I’d overstepped my bounds.
“Curb your impertinence, Princess. I was merely stating fact. Those who do not share a royal bloodline are lesser by birth, not through any fault of their own. It has been that way for centuries.”
I felt my fingers draw into tight fists where they rested in my lap.
“Sentinel Hamilton is in no way inferior. He has shown attributes that only the finest of royals have ever exhibited. He might not be royal by blood or by birth, but he is royal in all the ways that count.”
A hush fell over the room and I felt the ambient air grow colder still, the temperature dropping in a directly inverse relationship to their displeasure. Inside, I was fuming, my teeth clamped together so securely that my jaws hurt.
One of the males stood, causing all the others to stand. He turned his chilly eyes on me and I felt his disdain.
“We are done here. She is to be taken to the forest tonight. That is the end of discussion.” He pinned Jackson with his cool stare. “If you are half the Mer she believes you to be, you will trust her judgment on this and do as she asks.”
I opened my mouth to comment, but the words died in my throat when I felt Jackson’s hand cover my fists beneath the table. His warm fingers slid over top of mine and gently squeezed, a silent plea for me to hold my tongue. Then he stood, as did Commander Jessup.
The male, evidently the eldest, turned to Commander Jessup and nodded. Jessup hurried to the door and opened it.
“Might I ask one favor before you go?”
I felt every eye in the room turn to me. I’m sure they were astonished at the audacity I exhibited by first insulting them and then asking for their help. But, at that point, I had nothing to lose.
“Can you give me full access to the Seers? I believe they could be of use to me in this instance.”
“The Seers have already assisted you as much as they are able. They are chained to the Major Warden by the will of God until such time as he has been replaced. That time has not yet arrived.”
“Thank you,” I offered cordially, bowing my head in gratitude and respect, even though I was feeling very little of either at the moment.
The twelve veritably floated from the room, their ethereal figures moving past me, one by one, until they were but wispy memories fading from the sharp, cool air.
Commander Jessup hurried after them. When they had disappeared from sight, Jackson turned to me and spoke.
“Why did you do that?”
“Do what?”
&nb
sp; “Don’t play dumb, Madly. We both know you’re not,” he said. “Tell me why.”
“Because, unlike most Mer, I don’t believe that royals have the monopoly on all good qualities. And they obviously don’t know you. I know you’d risk your life for Mer, for humans. You’ve risked yourself for me twice already. As you’ve reminded me countless times, it’s your job.”
“You’re wrong.”
“Excuse me?”
“You’re wrong,” he repeated.
“About what?”
“About me.”
“How so?”
“I make calculated risks. I know my strengths. I wouldn’t risk my life, I wouldn’t give it for just anybody,” he said quietly.
Without another word, Jackson turned and walked out of the room, leaving me to puzzle over what he’d said.
After a slight delay, I rushed out the door to follow him, but was immediately waylaid by Commander Jessup.
“Our business is not quite finished, Princess. Would you please return to the conference room?”
I scanned the immediate area looking for Jackson. When I didn’t see him, I reluctantly did as Jessup asked, turning around to head back the way I’d come.
“I’ll be with you in a moment,” Jessup said as he closed the door behind me, effectively shutting me inside the stale-smelling room.
I plunked down in the chair I’d vacated only minutes before and I waited. By my estimates, it was at least fifteen minutes later when Jessup returned, ushering in three Sentinels I’d never before seen. They were all big like Jackson, but all three were older, probably by at least ten to fifteen years. They had the typical gruff, all-work-and-no-play exterior that was common among Sentinels, but these three lacked a spark that I’d only seen in Jackson’s eyes. It was the spark of a leader, of a strong-willed warrior, not a “yes” man. These three were obviously “yes” men.
“Princess, these are the Sentinels that will be taking over tonight’s mission. They will be coordinating events and ensuring your safety during the capture of Wolfhardt.”
“What? What happened to Jackson?”
Jessup frowned.
“Sentinel Hamilton will no longer be a part of this operation, Princess. However—”
“But why?” I asked, feeling almost frantic.
“His belief is that we are placing you in an unnecessarily dangerous situation and he refuses to take part in it. Therefore, he has been…reassigned. He will be permanently relocated.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
I jumped up, ready to bolt for the door.
“Princess, he is gone. You need to focus your attentions and your ample intellect on successful completion of the task at hand.”
It felt as if a vacuum had sucked all the air out of the room. Reassigned? Relocated? That could mean I’d never see Jackson again. If the Powers That Be wanted to keep him away from me, I’d never be able to find him, not without exposing my feelings for him.
With a bleakness of heart that felt like hopelessness, I realized that the day I’d dreaded had arrived. I had known there would come a time when I would have to accept and deal with the loss of Jackson. But I wasn’t prepared for that day to come so soon.
A nearly unbearable weight pressed in on my chest, threatening to crush it. A nearly unbearable lump swelled in my throat, threatening to suffocate me. I stood and walked across the room, struggling to breathe, struggling to control the tears that promised to spill from my flooded eyes.
One panicky thought flew round and round inside my mind, like a buzzard circling death.
He’s gone. He’s gone. He’s gone.
“Princess, are you alright?”
“I’m fine.”
He’s gone.
“Let’s continue then.”
“Of course.”
He’s gone.
“In light of your vision, we believe it would be best to hide Kellina Stratford in town. She will be staying late to visit with Aidan Saint. Mr. Saint has agreed to help us, though he is under strict instruction that the girl is to remain ignorant of the operation. I didn’t feel there was any reason to worry the human.
“What we’d like is for you to be awaiting Wolfhardt in the house, placed as a decoy inside the room he was watching. We feel the situation will be more controllable in a smaller venue that the forest.”
“Yes, sir.”
He’s gone.
“Sentinel Jensen will be in the room with you, Sentinel Westin just outside it and Sentinel Prokonow along with several other Sentinels covertly barring the exits once Wolfhardt has entered the house. There will be little presence in the woods, so as not to inadvertently spook Wolfhardt as he approaches.”
“Yes, sir,” I repeated mechanically, feeling as if some crucial element of life had been stolen from my soul, never to be replaced.
He’s gone.
“Once Wolfhardt enters the bedroom, he will be apprehended and you can use your bracelet to imprison him and return him to Atlas.”
“Yes, sir.”
He’s gone.
“Do you have any questions?”
At that point, I turned and faced Commander Jessup.
“What are the chances of success without Jackson?”
Jessup’s dark blue eyes darted uncomfortably toward his Sentinels for a moment before he squared his shoulders.
“We fully anticipate a victory, Princess. Sentinel Hamilton is not the only capable Sentinel. In fact, he is only one of many.”
“Then who else is strong enough to break into Atlas when I release the pearl?”
“Sentinel Marlow is one of our strongest swimmers. He will be taking Hamilton’s place.”
His admission caused me a tiny bit of relief. Marlow taking Jackson’s place meant that Jackson wouldn’t be in the extreme danger of having to try and break into a city under siege. Whether or not I ever saw him again, I would be much less miserable knowing that at least he was alive, somewhere out there inhabiting the same earth that I was.
But still…
He’s gone.
It resonated through me as if I was hollow on the inside, which is how I felt.
“If you have no more questions, then I would suggest you go back to your room and rest. Sentinel Jensen will be by to pick you up just before dusk. He’ll take you to the Stratford home using a discreet path through Slumber. Once there, you will await nightfall. At the fullness of the moon, you will turn on the light and attempt to lure Wolfhardt to you.”
“Yes, sir,” I said again, lacking any enthusiasm for the mission.
Even though my parents and thousands of Mer were hanging in the balance, my entire world seemed to have fallen under thick cloud cover. It was as if Jackson took the sun with him when he left, all the brightness suddenly gone from my skies.
On the way back to my dorm, I reminded myself over and over again that there was no sense missing Jackson, feeling lost without him. He’d only been back in my life for a few days and, despite how those few days had felt, ours was a relationship that was destined for failure.
Not that Jackson would have wanted to pursue something with me anyway. According to Jersey, Jackson’s heart was already taken, so I was clinging to an impossibility on two different levels.
But no amount of rationalizing could convince my heart of that. Somehow, to the depths of my soul, I felt something real and phenomenal and forever between us, as if we shared something that defied logic and tradition, something more profound than even the supernatural bond of the mating tie. On some level, to me it seemed as though Jackson and I were bound for greatness—together.
As I neared our room, I couldn’t help but look at Jackson’s door as I passed, wondering if he had already cleared out. On the one hand, I was dying to go through the adjoining door to see if he was on the other side, packing or preparing for departure. But on the other hand, if I went in and found that his few belongings were gone, it would make his exodus from my life all the more real. Devastatingly real.
Instead, I unlocked my door and took a deep breath, steeling myself for the hell I was going to catch from Jersey. When I opened the door, however, I found her sitting on her bed, the look on her face not one of anger, but rather one of hurt and confusion instead.
“Hey,” I said, letting my messenger bag slide to the floor.
Without even glancing up at me, Jersey said, “Hey.”
“What’s wrong?”
Jersey shook her head.
“Jersey, tell me. What is it?”
After a long pause, she finally answered me.
“I just don’t get it,” she said in a small voice.
“Don’t get what?”
“This has got to be, like, the worst day of my life,” she claimed dramatically.
“Why?” I asked, plopping down on the bed beside her.
I welcomed someone else’s troubles for a little while. It wasn’t exactly a pleasant escape, but it was an escape nonetheless, and that’s what I needed more than anything else at that moment. Well, more than anything except Jackson.
“I thought he was such a nice guy.”
“Who?”
“Aken.”
“What makes you think he’s not?”
One big fat tear slipped past Jersey’s thick lashes and made its way slowly down the curve of her cheek.
“He told me today that he doesn’t want to see me anymore. He just got so mad all of a sudden. He told me that my hair is an ugly color, that it’s not black enough, and that I’m not pretty enough.” She stopped to wipe at another tear that hung like a diamond on her bottom lashes. “He said that he will only date the most beautiful girls in school and that I’m not one of them.”
Anger gushed into my stomach like a river of acidic lava. If Aken had been nearby, I would gladly have ripped off his boy parts, ground them into a fine powder and then sprinkled them into a blazing bonfire.
“Jersey, he’s obviously blind for one thing. You are by far the hottest chick in this whole town, much less the school,” I declared vehemently. “Secondly, your hair is a beautiful color. It’s better than just plain black. It’s as black as the night when the moon is new, mixed with the vibrant red of a perfect sunset.”
Jersey slid her eyes to me, a deep and dubious frown pinching her brows together.