by LJ Andrews
Connor stared blankly at the wall, but his face hardened, concealing his typical lively expression. Owen shifted his weight as the silence between them grew more and more uncomfortable. He knew now was a time where he should offer comfort. Marie would know what to say without hesitation.
“There wasn’t anything you could’ve done, Connor,” he said.
“You’re right. There wasn’t,” Connor snapped, glowering through dark eyes. “And that’s why I will never let them surprise us like that again. Bant had something Maurelle wanted, something important enough to send Blake to make sure it was delivered.” His lips curled as if the name caused a sick taste in his mouth.
“Listen, I know you’re upset about Blake’s betrayal, but you understand how dangerous a wormhole could be. Miller was right; it could create an opening for the Trinity to attack us the same way.”
Connor scoffed and leaned back in his chair. “All due respect, Owen, this is my area of expertise. I think everyone is forgetting I’m the top scientist and top engineer. I did my research before I brought Bant back. I made sure there were safety nets in play, seeing as I’m not the idiot you and Miller seem to think I am.”
Owen pursed his lips in frustration. “Listen, Connor, you’re not the only one who is hurting about the attack. Maurelle is after my son and she has my wife!”
“AND I BLAME MYSELF,” Connor shouted, his face flushed a deep red and his eyes burning with pain.
Owen was taken back and watched as Connor crumpled on the table as if any fight he had left inside had been ripped away. “How is it your fault?”
Raising his head from the cool steel, Connor breathed out an air of exhaustion. “When Killian came here, I assured him Blake was as true to the Ponderi as anyone could ever be. I kept them close. I kept Killian here by creating the desire to find you and Marie. He wanted to leave, but I fed into his need for answers.” Connor wiped a hand under his nose and looked away.
“You were just looking out for him, Connor.” Owen tossed the pen onto the table and shook his head, studying Connor with a dubious expression.
Connor slowly met Owen’s gaze. His eyes were red from either anger or embarrassed emotion, Owen wasn’t sure. “That isn’t why I pushed so hard.”
“Excuse me?”
Connor shifted in his chair and wiped his nose again. “I knew there was something strange in the relic you’d passed to him and he’d told me about odd things he could do. I wanted to learn more; I wanted to study him.” Connor’s face scrunched with shame and he faced the wall again. “If I would’ve just left it alone maybe he would’ve been back on Terrene, safe from all this.”
Owen breathed out a sigh in exasperation. “Unbelievable. You really are a piece of work.”
Connor peered over his shoulder. “I’m sorry, Owen.”
“No, what’s unbelievable is somehow this has become all about you. If you think for one second Killian would’ve been safe on Terrene, then you’re dumber than I imagined. Come on, Connor, Maurelle knew exactly where he was; Nathaniel sent the Malumians to attack him. He was much safer here learning the truth than defenseless on Terrene with Blake as his guardian, just waiting to murder him.” Owen paced the room muttering and running his hand through his muddy brown hair. “Now, quit feeling sorry for yourself and use that big brain of yours and help us figure out how we’re going to stop Maurelle from slaughtering my family.”
Connor’s mouth had opened slightly during Owen’s rant. But he soon returned to his determined work mode and pulled out a thick notebook, flipping through the pages until he found a blank page. “All right then, tell me why you’re studying a curse encyclopedia.”
Owen kneeled down and opened the book to a marked page. “Have you ever seen this before?”
He pointed to a sketch of a teardrop-shaped ruby encased in beautiful silver. The stone was attached to a long silver chain that seemed dusted in diamonds even in the sketch.
Connor shook his head. “It doesn’t look familiar. What is it?”
Tapping the page, Owen leaned his head in closer and lowered his voice. “If I’m right, this necklace is full of Merlin’s remaining magic. It’s something powerful, but I haven’t figured out why Merlin would’ve sacrificed his power to this when he’d already created relics. We both know it’s no secret Merlin hid powerful objects throughout the Hemisphere, but I keep finding reports of something he sacrificed everything for.”
“But it would’ve killed him… and slowly,” Connor countered.
“I know, which means it must be important. I’m guessing whatever Bant was supposed to get in Glaciem has something to do with this necklace and if I’m right about Merlin’s power, the Trinity is after something big.”
“You think Bant stole this necklace?”
Owen shrugged. “Possibly, or maybe it was something else. You’re sure you haven’t ever seen this?”
Connor shook his head. “I don’t ever remember seeing a necklace like that, but it looks old; I don’t know if it would be in the Praetorium. What exactly is that book again?”
Owen held up the tattered brown spine so Connor could read the title. “Realm Curses and How to Stop Them,” Connor read out loud. “Hmm, sounds like it’s more than an encyclopedia of magic. If the necklace is in the book it could be a cursed object or−ˮ
“Or something to stop a curse,” Owen finished.
“What makes you so interested in this necklace?”
Owen’s brow furrowed as he studied the ruby. “It’s familiar. Out of the entire book, this necklace is the only thing that has made me stop. I just can’t remember where I’ve seen it before.”
“Sorry to interrupt boys,” Shannon said, poking her head in the doorframe, “but there is someone here to see you, Owen. Miller sent a memo that she’s at the front entry.” Owen’s quizzical expression caused her to chuckle. “Honestly, Owen, don’t look so surprised. Sometimes people visit the Praetorium.”
“Sorry. I’ll be right up,” he answered. “Come on, Connor, you’ve got to stick with me.”
“Wait—I think Connor owes me an explanation after what I saw earlier,” Shannon said putting her hands on her hips.
Owen looked between them both before sighing. “All right fine, but don’t do anything stupid” – he pointed at Connor – “I’ll be back in a little while.”
The last thing he saw was Shannon whipping around on Connor and her hands flying in the air.
The elevator shot through the walls diagonally before jerking sideways toward the center of the building. When he stepped into the front entryway, the lavender sunlight was fading below the hazy horizon and meshing with a sunset of greens and pinks beyond the wild garden.
Owen looked at the front benches, but no one was there. He clicked his tongue in frustration and turned back to the open elevator.
“Hello, Owen. It’s been too long,” a poetic voice came from the shadows. Eldora stepped into the fading light and blinked away the discomfort of the sunset.
“Eldora, you’re here. I wasn’t expecting you so soon,” he said, stepping toward her and kissing her pale hand. “It’s good to see you. I could really use your help.”
Eldora smiled, her silver eyes sparkling. “Always working, Owen. No time for catching up?”
He shyly smiled. “Sorry. Things are just…complicated now.”
“I know, dear. I heard about Marie, which is why I’m here. I wanted to see how you were doing, as well as your son,” she said, patting his hand.
“You haven’t heard anything about her, have you? Do the clans know where Maurelle could be hiding her?”
Eldora gave him a sympathetic smile. “I wish I could give you some kind of hope, Owen. I visited with some of the clans in Cimmerian, and no one has heard anything, I would tell you if I had.” Owen nodded, but didn’t say anything. “Now, what is it you needed my help with?”
Owen crossed the tiled entryway and sat on one of the benches. He flipped through the pages until he came to the nec
klace and held it up for Eldora to see.
“You’re the most knowledgeable person I know when it comes to magic. What can you tell me about this necklace?”
Eldora took the book out of his hands and studied the page for several moments. “I’ve seen this ruby before, but never as a necklace. Do you know where this is, Owen?” Her interest seemed peaked and her hungry eyes locked with his, though he seemed indifferent to the change.
“No. I thought I recognized it but I can’t place where I’ve seen it before. You know it then? Is it some kind of cursed object?”
Eldora took a deep breath and tried to slow her breathing. “No, but it is powerful. The last time I saw this ruby, Merlin was holding it, and killing himself.”
Owen’s eyes widened. “I knew it. Merlin left other defenses in the Hemisphere. He sacrificed his magic to this ruby, didn’t he?”
Eldora nodded and stood again as she watched the sun fade and the greenish moon rise in the strange sky. “If my memory serves me correctly, he transferred the remaining life source of his power to that ruby. After, he left the rest of us to watch him slowly wither away to nothing. It was a horrible thing to witness.”
“I’m sorry you had to see that. I know you and Merlin were close.”
She smiled sadly and faced him. “Yes. He taught me much about powers outside of our understanding.”
“Eldora, Merlin wouldn’t have made such a powerful object if he wasn’t protecting something incredibly dangerous and I think the Trinity is after whatever this ruby protects. I know Merlin was a visionary; maybe he saw something coming and knew the Hemisphere would need something to protect it. You know what it’s protecting, don’t you?” He questioned when Eldora looked away again.
“I don’t know much, Owen, but I know it has something to do with a gateway. I think the ruby has power over the opening, either to protect it, or unleash whatever is behind it.”
“A gateway? To where?”
Eldora shrugged. “Merlin spoke of dangers outside of our Hemisphere many times; I can only imagine he meant a gateway to another Hemisphere. Why do you suspect the Trinity is looking for the gateway?”
“We’ve captured one of them and we know this individual handled strange magic. I wonder if the Trinity may have this ruby.”
“Light magic would’ve been detected if it was the ruby. Merlin was a pure Cimmerian. His magic wouldn’t seem strange; it would be beautiful. Owen, if you’re right about the Trinity, then we need to find this ruby. Do you have any thoughts of where it could be?”
“I wish I did, but honestly that’s why I wanted to speak to you. I had hoped you might know. But we’ve got some power here and this will become our priority, I’m sure if we pool resources, we’ll find it. I just hope we beat Maurelle.”
“I’ll do what I can to help Owen, but you will tell me if you find it, won’t you?”
“Of course. We’ll probably need your expertise on powerful objects,” he said.
Eldora smiled as if relieved. “Good. I’ll reach out to the clans once more and urge them to help the Ponderi. We will need all the hands we can get if we’re going to win this fight. Maurelle is the most powerful person I’ve seen since Merlin himself.”
“When I find this ruby, Maurelle is going to have to answer for taking my wife and trying to kill my son, and she’ll be met with Merlin’s power.”
“Be careful, Owen. She’s been planning this for centuries; do not make the mistake of letting your anger cloud your judgment.”
“I won’t be foolish; Marie’s life depends on me and I won’t sacrifice that simply because I’m angry.”
Eldora patted his cheek like a mother would. “Good. Now remember your promise; you’ll tell me if you find the ruby.”
He nodded. “Tell the clans we need them; tell them to overlook their prejudices won’t you?”
“Consider it done, Owen.” Eldora smiled and slowly seemed to disappear back into the shadows of the hallway.
He saw a strange bluish glow and knew she’d left the building. For the first time since he’d returned to the Praetorium, Owen felt a ray of hope they would be able to defeat the Trinity. He rushed from the entryway to find Killian. Though part of him wanted to keep the information as far away from his son as he could, he knew the fight was coming and he couldn’t keep Killian in the dark and keep him safe from Maurelle.
Eldora peered out from the corner, watching Owen whip away behind the walls and waited only a moment before she heard his deep voice.
“You know more than you are admitting about the ruby.”
“Of course, I am,” she said, facing him. They both sat on the bench and Eldora looked nervously over her shoulder.
“No one is coming,” he said darkly. “What does it do?”
“The ruby is the only thing that can lock the gateway if the Black Dawn is released. It can’t block the gateway from opening. Merlin knew it was inevitable. He saw the Black Dawn in one of his visions, so he sacrificed himself to ensure it could be locked away again.”
“So we must find the ruby to ensure no one will destroy the power.”
Eldora nodded. “I tried to get the scroll, but Maurelle still has her clutches on it. She may find the gateway first if we can’t reach it.”
“The queen is of no concern to me. The curse will destroy her; only I am powerful enough to control it.”
“It is unwise to underestimate Maurelle.”
“And it would be unwise for you to question me, or would you rather serve your queen and hope you’re on the winning side?”
Eldora stiffened as his piercing eyes bore into her. He wasn’t giving her the option to join with Maurelle; it was a subtle threat and it caused her skin to chill.
“I’m committed to our plan; I’ve made that perfectly clear.”
“Good. Now where is the ruby? You’re one of the last people to see it.”
“I wasn’t lying when I said I didn’t know where it was. It was forged in Cimmerian and because it was Rhea’s, I imagined Maurelle may feel some connection to the ruby, but she has no idea it exists. I’m sure Merlin moved it out of Cimmerian long ago, but he made sure I was unaware of where he hid it.”
“Then we wait. I’m certain that fool will make sure Killian searches for the ruby. When he finds it, then we take it for ourselves.”
“I don’t understand why we can’t search for it.”
“We both have appearances to keep, and I will not bring any unnecessary attention our way. Now, go; others are coming this way. Keep your eyes open for any significant movement of the Trinity toward the gateway. We must be there with them when it’s opened.”
He placed an icy finger under her chin as he said it making sure she was looking at him. Eldora gulped when he disappeared down the hallway. She glared after him and peered at the brand on her wrist, silently vowing to break his cursed hold on her when the Black Dawn was released.
Chapter 8
The Escape
Marie absentmindedly carved a straight line in the stone making up one wall of her cell, while Laura sniffled and jumped at every noise outside.
“Crying won’t do you any good,” Marie said, annoyed by her incessant whimpering.
“I can’t help it. This is too…unbelievable. I don’t understand why they want me here. I haven’t seen Killian in two years, and it’s not like he would come save me after what I did.”
Marie scoffed bitterly. “You really don’t know my son, do you. No matter what happened between the two of you, he won’t leave you to die. Maurelle knows we are perfect leverage.”
Laura sniffed hard. “I just don’t understand how no one ever knew these places existed. All these people and not a sign there was life anywhere but Earth.”
“Signs are everywhere on Terrene; people just seem to ignore them, writing them off as strange disasters or atmospheric oddities. The northern lights, for example—quite a phenomenon, but no one realizes that is where the barrier is the thinnest and when the lights ar
e visible it usually means the barriers have extreme pressure building.”
“Unbelievable,” Laura said in awe. “If I would’ve known this would happen when Killian came to live with us, I would’ve thought I was losing my mind.”
Marie glared at the deep scar she’d made in the stone and forcefully dug her knife in again.
“You must hate me,” Laura said after hearing nothing but Marie’s obsessive carving for too long.
Stopping midway through a slice in the stone, Marie lifted her head. “I don’t hate you…I admit I don’t think much of you,” she said, shrugging. “I just don’t understand something. When you had the chance to leave your home, why didn’t you? You threw Killian away, yet you stayed with that monster.”
Laura’s dark eyes went blank as she drifted away. “It’s a fear I can’t explain. But the guilt I’ve felt for what I did to Killian eats at me every day. He was a good boy.” She wiped a stray tear from her cheek and hugged her knees to her chest. “If I don’t make it out of here, when you find him, will you tell him I’m sorry?”
“Quiet,” Marie snipped.
“No. You are from this world and you have a much better chance at surviving than−ˮ
“Shut up,” Marie hissed. “I hear something.”
Laura stopped and listened. Soft thump-thumps of footsteps running along the hallway were coming closer to them. Periodically, the sounds would shuffle and stop as if the runner were resting or moving out of the hallway for a few moments before running again.
Suddenly, the door jingled as someone on the outside played with the lock until the heavy door swung open. Someone covered head to foot in a heavy cloak rushed across the floor and knelt down by the bars.
“Marie, forgive me for taking so long, but the Trinity is not easy to sneak past.”
Marie beamed. “Jax, you’re alive. When Maurelle ambushed Ignisia before she captured me, I heard you’d been killed.”
Jax removed the hood and his brilliant orange hair lit up the dim room like a fire. His tan face showed age, but the billowing flames behind his deep brown eyes flickered with a youthful excitement.