by E. G. Foley
Jake didn’t even have to think about it.
From the moment he’d been asked to protect the mermaid princesses on land, he’d had the notion of a possible reward in the back of his mind.
For there were certain favors that only a sea king could grant.
Like access to a dangerous prisoner being held in another sea king’s jail.
But before he dared answer, he remembered to bow, just like he’d been taught to do when brought before Queen Victoria. “Your Majesty: I thank you for your gracious consideration. Truly, no reward is necessary. But if it pleases you, I would make one simple request.”
“Name it,” Nereus said while Lil clung to his arm and rested her head dotingly on her father’s shoulder.
Jake braced himself to state his petition. “King Oceanus of the North Sea recently fended off a coup designed by the evil sea-witch Fionnula Coralbroom.”
Nereus narrowed his eyes at the mention of her name. “Yes, I know of this loathsome traitoress. What of her?”
“Your Majesty, the witch claims to have information concerning the murder of my parents. If I could but speak to her for a few minutes in her cell, I might finally find the answers I have sought for years about their deaths—”
“Say no more.” Nereus held up his hand, already nodding. “I will send word to Oceanus to permit this interview at your earliest convenience, Lord Griffon. He is my cousin, after all. Therefore, I can confidently give you my word that your request will be granted. And…I am sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you, Sire.”
“Of course. Family can be challenging at times…” He put his arm around Sapphira, who’d gone to stand on the other side of him. She draped her arm around her father’s giant shoulders, in turn, smiling at him. “But it is the most precious thing we have on this earth, whether in the sea or on the land, yes? To have had yours taken from you…” The king shook his head in sympathy. “That is a terrible thing, especially for a lad your age.”
Jake lowered his head, taken off guard by the slight lump in his throat. “Well, Your Majesty—thankfully, I still have other kin.”
He thought of his cousins and Great-Great Aunt Ramona, of Dani and Red, and his new friends, Maddox and Nixie, and even Derek Stone, and he wholeheartedly concurred with the king’s sentiments. Without them, his castle, his title, his goldmine, even his grand, hoped-for future as a Lightrider—all of it would be perfectly meaningless.
“I sincerely thank you, sir. This means more to me that I can ever say.”
“I hope you can convince the sea-witch to tell you the truth of whatever she knows about this matter. But don’t be deceived. She is a slippery one by reputation. Don’t let her fill your head with lies.”
Jake nodded. “So I’ve learned in dealing with her the last time our paths crossed. I will believe nothing Fionnula Coralbroom says, except what can be proved.”
“Then you are wise.”
Jake arched a brow. This was the first time anyone had ever accused him of that.
He stayed only a short while longer then took his leave of the king and bade the mermaids goodbye. Both sisters gave him a brief hug, Tyndaris shook his hand, then Jake went on his way, flanked by mer-guards, returning to the surface, hungry for lunch and already dreaming of pizza.
In short order, he flopped back into the sailboat with Dani.
“How did it go?” she asked cheerfully, as they started sailing back to the Villa di Palma, the submersible chugging along off to their starboard.
“You should’ve come,” Jake said.
Disappointment flicked across her sunburned face, but he playfully tugged on a lock of her half-dried hair. “Don’t fret, carrot—she said you can go whenever you like.”
“Oh, good. As soon as I get over this new phobia of the sea that I share with your Gryphon, I’ll be right there.”
Jake laughed. “Eh, you don’t have a phobia, O’Dell. You’re as brave as they come.”
She looked over with a grin, beaming at his praise, for, really, it was the highest compliment Jake could give to anyone. As a future Lightrider, after all, courage was the one thing he most insisted on in himself.
Then she glanced curiously at his empty hands. “But where is your reward?”
He told her what he had asked for, and that it had been granted.
Her emerald eyes grew wide. “You’re finally going to get to speak to Coralbroom?”
Jake nodded, already anticipating it.
“Wow…” Dani whispered.
They lapsed into companionable silence, absorbing everything that had happened over the past forty-eight hours as they sailed into the villa’s private cove.
Dani was fiddling with the mainsail, beginning to take it down in preparation for their landing. They were but a stone’s throw from the beach when Jake, perusing the shore with the telescope, suddenly shot to his feet and pointed up at the terrace.
“Dani!” he burst out.
“What?” she cried in alarm, squinting against the sun.
“It’s Derek!” he shouted.
Then he leaped into the waist-high water and ran the rest of the way up the beach.
CHAPTER 34
Good News & Bad News
Jake pounded up the beach stairs first, but Maddox wasn’t far behind. Within moments, the rest of them were splashing up through the shallows, whooping and hollering, racing up onto the terrace to surround Derek Stone.
Miss Helena was with him, her arms around his waist. Derek had rested his arm across her shoulders as the kids thronged the couple, embracing them both, and talking all at once.
Derek laughed with pleasure to see them, but he looked different. His mane of dark, wild hair had been shorn; now it wasn’t much longer than the usual scruff that roughened his jaw. The rugged angles of his face looked a little gaunt, and there was suffering in his eyes. Jake was relieved not to see any casts or bandages on him.
“Oh, and look who else I brought back for you,” Miss Helena said, beaming as she motioned across the terrace toward the doorway to the house.
“Henry!” Archie cried.
There were cries of glee as their genteel tutor stepped out of the house with a smile, his left arm bandaged, but his bowtie as tidy as ever.
“What’s all the commotion out here?” he asked with a grin that belied his chiding tone.
The whole cluster of them surged away from Derek and Helena to clamor around the shapeshifting tutor.
“It’s wonderful to see you!” everyone said.
“We’re so glad you’re back!”
“How’d the maiden voyage go, Arch?” Henry asked his star pupil with a knowing grin.
“Brilliant!” said Archie.
“I knew it! When are you taking me out for a ride, then?”
“Oh, er, whenever you like, I suppose,” Archie said, but his reluctance to go to sea again anytime soon was fairly plain.
“Henry, what happened to your arm?” Isabelle asked.
“Ah, it’s nothing. Bit of a scuffle with a Noxu warrior.”
“What’s that?” Dani said.
“Nasty sort of thing related to a troll. But no worries. He was no match for a certain wolf of my acquaintance,” Henry said. “Now, never mind all that. Dare I ask if you all have been behaving?”
“Hmm,” Derek said. “Imagine our surprise upon arriving here to find you all missing, Her Ladyship asleep, and the house looking as though it had been ransacked by marauders.”
Jake and Archie exchanged a guilty glance.
“We would’ve been worried if not for this,” Derek added, holding up a scrap of paper. “Thankfully, Miss O’Dell was thoughtful enough to leave us a note telling us how you all had gone out boating.” He winked at Dani and she grinned.
“Anything for you, Guardian Stone. We were a wreck with worry over you.”
He rumpled her hair. “Thanks, lass.”
“So you’ve seen Aunt Ramona, then,” Isabelle said anxiously. “Is she still unc
onscious? We should go check on her–”
“That won’t be necessary, I am quite well, my dear,” the Elder witch herself announced, stepping out of the house at that moment.
“Aunt!” several of them cried.
The baroness was the next to be swarmed as the children all rushed around her. For once, their enthusiastic warmth overcame Her Ladyship’s usual standoffish formality. She stiffened, looking a little nonplused, but tolerated their hugs.
Only Nixie hung back, probably for fear of seeming disrespectful—besides which, she was not much for open displays of affection herself.
“We were terribly worried about you, ma’am,” she said, however.
“We were worried about all of you,” Jake agreed, glancing around at the other three adults.
“Likewise,” Miss Helena replied, then frowned, noting their wet clothes. “Where exactly have you been?”
“Oh, out on the water,” Archie said with a wide, slightly forced smile.
“We went for a bit of a swim. But tell us about the rescue mission!” Jake said. “I see it was successful.” He beamed at Derek, who nodded, lowering his gaze.
“Yes, as you can see, we succeeded in retrieving Guardian Stone.” Henry smiled at his sister, who looked determined never to let herself be pried away from Derek’s side again.
“Finnderool brought us here half an hour ago. He couldn’t stay,” Miss Helena interjected, while Aunt Ramona took a seat at the lacy wrought-iron table under the vine-covered pergola.
“Are you feeling better, Aunt Ramona?” Isabelle asked, going over to sit beside her.
She nodded gratefully and took her favorite’s hand.
“Tell us everything,” Jake said to the adults.
“Well, in addition to Derek, we were able to free Celestus,” Henry informed them, folding his arms across his chest and leaning idly by the balustrade. “The Dark Druids were holding him by the power of some strange artifact that Sir Peter thought might actually be Atlantean in origin.”
Jake and the others exchanged uneasy looks, but Dani’s face had filled with dismay.
“So it was Dr. Celestus,” she said.
Henry gave her a sad nod. “When Aleeyah told the Elders that the Dark Druids were holding an angel, everyone thought she must be mistaken. But the rescue team managed to bring back the artifact from the mission. Curious. An odd metallic winged disk, rather like the ones you see in ancient Egyptian art. But those sun disks are merely decorative. This one generated power far beyond the knowledge of the pharaohs.”
“Really?” Archie murmured, pushing his spectacles up higher onto his nose.
Henry nodded. “It gave off an energy field of some sort that somehow forced Celestus to incarnate temporarily in mortal form. Imprisoned in flesh and blood like us, he could not escape with the usual properties of the Light Beings. He was trapped.”
“As was I,” Derek said gruffly. “Though by nothing as exotic as an Atlantean artifact. Merely in a dungeon cell.”
“I’m so sorry,” Isabelle said softly, and Maddox sent his mentor a soulful gaze.
“Eh,” said Derek, summoning up a faint smile, “I’ll be fine.”
It was just what Jake would’ve expected him to say. It was such a relief to have him back. “What about Tex?” he asked them eagerly. “Did you free him, too?”
Sorrow flickered in the master Guardian’s deep-set eyes. He shook his head with an air of reluctance.
Helena quickly took over for him. “We were unable to find Agent Munroe in the Dark Druids’ stronghold. It was very well guarded.”
“To say the least,” Henry muttered.
“Perhaps if we’d had more time,” she said. “By the way, Prince Janos sends his apologies. He would’ve come, but unfortunately he is mourning his friend Urso.”
Henry shook his head in regret. “The bear didn’t make it.”
“Oh no!” Isabelle rose to her feet.
The governess frowned at her. “Surely you didn’t know Urso, dear. He was only just released from an Order prison. Not to speak ill of the dead, but he had a dreadful reputation.”
“No. You’re right, of course.” Izzy shook her head and sat back down demurely, but Jake could guess the reason for her outburst.
Izzy did truly seem to care about Janos, and even Jake was fairly sure that Urso was the last remaining friend the ex-Guardian still had.
Most had washed their hands of him when Janos had turned vampire, even Derek. The brash Germanic bear, however, had remained unflinchingly loyal. So Jake had heard.
“He died bravely,” Derek mumbled.
But the mention of casualties had dropped a pall over their joyous reunion.
Maddox took a step forward, looking uneasy. “What about my mother? How did she fare?”
“Aye, and where’s Red?” Jake asked.
They all saw Derek flinch at these questions.
Several of them gasped, then the silence sharpened to a knife’s edge.
“Derek, where’s Red?” Jake repeated as his stomach lurched.
“Did my mother survive?” Maddox demanded just as quickly.
“Boys,” Henry said softly, “they were both captured.”
“What?” Maddox breathed.
“At least we believe Ravyn was captured,” Henry said. “Of Red, there is no doubt. We saw them throw the ropes around him.”
“Oh, God,” Jake whispered, taking a step back in horror. “What…how…”
“Now, Jake, there is no reason to assume they mean to hurt him,” Miss Helena said quickly. “He’s more valuable to them alive and intact. After all, scarlet gryphons are very rare.”
“Guardians aren’t,” Maddox forced out, sounding like someone had just punched him in the gut. He spun away, fists clenched. “I’m going to kill that vampire.”
Isabelle glanced at him in surprise.
“He said he’d watch her!”
“Maddox, it was chaos on all sides,” Henry said.
“What did you see? What happened?” Maddox whirled back around. “And how can you not know whether or not she was captured?”
“I’ll tell you all we do know. But you need to stay calm,” Derek ordered. He moved away from Miss Helena and went to lean against the balustrade by Henry.
Aunt Ramona looked on all the while, silent as the Sphinx.
“Your Gryphon was the one who actually started the battle,” Henry said. “He fought his way past the manticore and got into the Black Fortress. The drawbridge was down and the doors were open, so he entered and started looking for Derek.”
“When I heard all the commotion outside,” Derek said, nodding, “I figured it was the Order, and started shouting from my prison cell, hoping someone would find me.”
“Once Red broke through the warlocks’ ranks,” Henry continued, “then Ravyn, Sir Peter, and Finnderool followed the Gryphon into the castle.”
Derek picked up the thread again from there. “They found me in my cell, and I told them where the enemy was holding Celestus. I warned them about the winged disk device, because I had seen it during my captivity. I knew it was the key to freeing Celestus. By that point, Janos had fought his way in, too. He and Finnderool went to free the angel, while Ravyn and Sir Peter stayed with me.
“Pete used his wand to open the door to my cell,” Derek continued. “But the Druids must’ve put some sort of counter-spell on it, for it bounced back at him and temporarily blinded him. Thankfully, Finnderool returned and got him out while Janos kept battling the demons they’d had guarding the angel—”
“Demons?” Dani gasped.
Derek nodded grimly. “I shudder to say that the devils guarding Celestus never tired of tormenting him. Whatever they did to me was nothing compared to what they did to him.” He shook his head, staring at the ground. “Pure hatred. I caught sight of him once, bruised, lacerated, wingless. They taunted him continually to renounce good, curse the light, and join them. Demons are just fallen angels, after all. But he didn’t b
reak.”
“How on earth could Janos have defeated two demons by himself?” Maddox asked.
“Apparently, he got to the artifact and changed the angle of it, aiming it at them. Its strange properties had the same effect on them as Celestus. It turned the devils temporarily to flesh and blood beings, then he killed them.” Derek gazed at Maddox, as though contemplating his former promising young recruit, Janos, who had let him down so badly.
Then he continued. “Finnderool had to help Sir Peter out of the fortress, since he couldn’t see. Ravyn stayed with me to shatter the chains they’d used to shackle me to the wall. I wasn’t able to be of much use once I was free,” Derek admitted, vague on the details as to why. “So she called to the Gryphon to get me out of there. I climbed on, and Red flew me out.”
Just like I told him to, Jake thought, aching to realize that was the exact request he had made of his noble pet. God, if he had actually believed something this bad could’ve happened to Red, he never would’ve let him go. Such a thing had seemed unthinkable. And now here it was.
“Instead of leaving the castle then, too, Ravyn stayed behind. She wanted to press on deeper into the enemy’s stronghold to try to find Tex. Janos finished his work with the demons and went with her, while Red flew me clear of the area around the castle’s entrance, where everyone else was still battling Lord Wyvern and his forces.”
“Lord Wyvern?” Archie echoed in surprise.
A chill ran down Jake’s spine at the name. “Who exactly is that?”
“The Druid Council’s top henchman and enforcer.” Derek glanced at Helena as she caressed his shoulder, then continued. “When Red set me down, I took one of the scarlet feathers that he offered me and used it to start healing my wounds, but this took some time, as there were…quite a few.” A shadow flickered behind Derek’s eyes.
It tore at Jake’s soul. He barely dared contemplate what all they might have done to the steely warrior.
Then he wondered if this Lord Wyvern himself had been the torturer, and his heart clenched like a fist.