by Simone Pond
But Aaron chuckled softly. “Yes, I am old. I’ve been here many, many years. But once upon a time, I lived in your dimension with my wife, Margarette. We had a son, Angelo. My dear wife was killed in a battle, the same one that led me to this execrable place. Angelo was left behind.”
My head was spinning. The heat, dehydration and trying to comprehend Rocco’s age was too much to conceive. The detective didn’t look a day over forty. But because he hadn’t married and didn’t have any offspring, he was the only remaining Protector of his bloodline. Unless he got married and had a kid, he’d continue protecting his Scroll for eternity. His fate was even worse than I had originally thought. Poor Rocco had spent centuries alone. Thinking about that life of loneliness gave me even more incentive to get the hell out of that dimension. I’d track down Asher and start making Protector babies as soon as possible. I didn’t want to get stuck protecting Scrolls for millennia. I mean, it had been rewarding, but I pictured myself settling down one day.
“Rocco is a hero,” I told Aaron. “He’s taught me a lot about being a Protector of Light. And he saved my life.”
Aaron stared at me. “Yet, you ended up here.”
“Oh, let me assure you, that was entirely my fault. But I’m going to figure a way out. All we need is a water source. Water is the conduit between dimensions.”
All seven of them laughed like I had just told a joke. Saul slapped his knee for emphasis, which infuriated me. Were they laughing because I was a rookie?
“Sure, all we need is water.” Saul opened his arms, motioning outwardly toward our surroundings.
Nothing but endless stretches of dry, cracked desert floor and mountains of giant sand dunes. Mars probably had more water.
I forced those cheap pleather sandals back onto my blistered feet and stood up. “You must be getting water from somewhere. Otherwise you’d all be dead. And I’m pretty sure Cagliostro wants to keep all of you alive to suffer for eternity, which you seem hell-bent on doing. So where is it?”
My father reached for my arm. “Easy, Fiona.”
“No. You’re being too complacent. Don’t you see that Cagliostro is winning? Tell me where the water is, and I’ll figure out how to get us out of here. Who knows how long I’ll stay connected to the Monarchy. We need to make hay while the sun’s shining. You’re either with me, or not. But I can’t stay in this demonic desert prison, rotting away, while the people I love and possibly my Guide are in danger.”
I sounded like a soccer coach, or inspirational speaker. But those battered down Protectors needed some pushing. The years of constant sun, heat and lack of water had made them lackadaisical. Maybe my purpose was to put some wind back into their weathered sails.
My father grinned at my chutzpah; something I had inherited from him. “Okay, okay. But let’s not get too excited. Don’t you think we’ve already tried to get out a thousand different ways?”
“Over a thousand,” Saul added.
“But Fiona’s right,” Soraya said, standing up and touching my shoulder. “She has something we’ve never had to our advantage. She’s still connected to the Monarchy. And that might not last much longer, so let’s get to it.”
I liked Soraya. She was a reasonable woman. And honestly, I was glad she was on my side because I had no idea where to begin looking for water in that barren land.
Slowly, the rest of the Protectors stood. My mother assisted Aaron to his feet. He’d definitely drag us down, but I was counting on him to bestow some Monarchy wisdom along the way. Maybe share some stories about Detective Rocco as we hunted for water.
“Let’s start on the other side of the dunes,” my father said, pointing toward the mounds of sand. “There are some cactus farms over there. We might be able to extract some water. That’s how we’ve been surviving out here. But if we deplete those resources and can’t transport out of here, we could be in dire straits.”
“We won’t know until we try,” I said.
“Persuasive, aren’t you?” he teased.
I smiled and kissed his cheek. “I had good teachers.”
He pulled the cloth over his mouth to hide his smile, but I could tell in his eyes he approved of my determination.
The rest of us covered our faces and headed toward the heaping dunes of sand.
four
The sweltering sun wasn’t the worst part about the trek to the cactus farm in search of water, it was the hot sand filling up my lame souvenir-shop sandals. I had to keep stopping to adjust the straps and dump out the grains. But I kept quiet, knowing the others had endured way worse for a lot longer. As we reached the top of the first sand dune, I hoped the hard part was over, but hundreds of sandy mounds stretched into the infinite horizon. Brutal.
Soraya pointed into the distance. “What’s that?”
All I could see was miles of sand.
Saul shielded his eyes, squinting in the direction his wife pointed. “That’s interesting.”
“Do you think it’s another Protector?” my mother asked.
Kaila grabbed my arm. “Do you think it’s Julian? Could it be my son? Oh, please, please let him be okay!” She was really broken up over her son. Julian always acted like he wasn’t close with his parents, but not according to his mother.
“I doubt it’s Julian,” I said. “He wouldn’t have followed me into Cagliostro’s trap. I’m not sure who that is.”
“Should we continue?” my father asked the group.
“Yes!” Kaila shouted. “It could be Julian. I must know for sure!” She began to walk ahead of the group and her husband grabbed her by the shoulders, holding her still.
Her frenetic behavior had broken his last nerve. “You must calm yourself, Kaila. Think rationally. The last time you got emotional, we ended up in this vile place.”
Kaila lowered her crazed eyes and took a few deep breaths. I could relate to her desperation. I had felt the same way when I was looking for Charlotte in New York. Rationality usually takes a backseat when it comes to lofty emotions.
Soraya stepped forward. “I’d like to check it out.”
Saul nodded, agreeing with his wife. “Yes. Absolutely yes. It could be a way out of this shit-hole.”
My parents looked to Aaron for the final word. The old man closed his baggy eyes in a meditative fashion and he remained silent for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, a slight grin curled his lips. “We must go,” he said.
We edged down the side of the sand dune, me slipping and sliding more than walking. Then we trudged up another one. When we got to the top, I gazed out across the sand and saw the figure glimmering in the distance. Though I couldn’t make out the specific details, a familiar and pleasant shiver resonated through me. I knew exactly who was out there. I began waving and shouting like a maniac.
“Asher!”
He lifted his arms and waved, then started running toward us.
“Who is Asher?” my mother asked.
“I don’t know how he got here, but he followed me,” I said.
“Who is he?” my father persisted.
“My boyfriend.”
“You have a boyfriend?” my parents asked.
“Um, don’t sound so shocked. Not the best confidence booster.”
I departed from the group and ran down the hill, losing my footing and rolling ass over head the whole way down. Sand filled my mouth, ears, and eyes. But I didn’t care. At the bottom, I jumped up and ran to the next one. When I reached the top, I could see Asher—my ex-bounty hunter angel gone rogue boyfriend—running toward me.
When Asher reached me, he pulled me into his chest and ripped away the cloth from my face to smother me with kisses. “Fiona,” he whispered in a dry pant.
I held him, kissing his sunburned neck, jawline, and cheeks. “How are you here? Did Cagliostro send you?”
He shook his head and wrapped me in his embrace. “No, when you dove for what you thought was the Scroll, you landed in the moat and tipped over the gondola where he had me bound with chains. The thing yo
u grabbed was a transporter instrument, which sent you here. Because I was already in the water, I used my transference rod to follow you through the portal before it closed.”
I stared up at Asher, trying to think of how to thank him for risking his life to follow after me. But all I could come up with was some silly crack. “I guess chivalry still exists.”
He laughed and kissed me. I didn’t even care that our lips were dry and cracked. His kiss reenergized me, getting the fluids flowing. I no longer felt thirsty.
“I hate to tell you. You might’ve made a huge mistake. This place kinda sucks. Like a lot. One of the Protectors—Rocco’s father, if you can believe that—has been stuck here for centuries. Something happens the longer you’re here. Like you stop giving a shit about leaving. But with your magic wand thing, we might be able to get the hell out of here.”
Asher removed the instrument from his waistband and extended the baton with a quick flick outward. “It’s a transference rod,” he corrected.
“Wand. Baton. Rod. It’s all good. All we need is water, right?”
He nodded. “But judging from our surroundings, that looks like it’s going to be tough.”
“We were on our way to a water source. I believe if we all work together we can siphon more from the ground. And somehow I’m still connected to the Monarchy, so I was banking on that working to our benefit. Come on, we have to get back to the others.”
Asher took my hand. A wave of delight rolled across my chest and exuberance pulsated through my bones. Something magical always happened whenever we got close.
“I missed you, Fiona.”
“How long has it been?” I asked.
“I don’t know. But it feels like years.”
“Maybe it has been. Who knows what level of magic Cagliostro has hardwired into this place. But I’m ready to get out of here and back to San Francisco.” I closed my eyes, picturing my beautiful Victorian home that Asher had remodeled.
“What are you smiling about?” he asked.
“I was picturing my bedroom. And you in it.”
He laughed. “Well, let’s get a move on, shall we?”
We jogged back toward the others as fast as we could go through the sand. Along the way, I gave the backstory of each Protector so he’d know what to expect.
five
By the time Asher and I reached the others, I was as parched as the cracked desert floor and my throat felt like it was coated in sandpaper. My father gave me his leather pouch of water, which I carefully dripped into my mouth.
Once I regained my voice, I made introductions. “Mom, Dad, this is Asher.”
My parents’ reaction wasn’t the one that surprised me, it was the old man, Aaron of Sardis. He came hobbling over and crouched on one knee before Asher like someone would for royalty.
“Prince Asher,” he said. “I’m Aaron of Sardis. Perhaps you recall me from my early days in service to the Monarchy?”
I choked, feeling like the air had been sucked from my lungs. “Um, did he just say prince?”
Asher ignored my question and helped Aaron to a semi-upright position. “It’s an honor to see you again, Prince Asher. It’s been many, many years. Why are you here? Have you been sent to save us?”
My mother stepped over and intervened. “Fiona, your boyfriend is Prince Asher?”
“I’m not sure what’s happening, but I’m hoping Prince Asher will explain,” I said.
Asher stood back and smiled at the group of Protectors, all of us staring back, dumbfounded. I was the most shocked of all.
“Let’s drop the prince part,” he said. “And to answer your question, Aaron, I wasn’t sent here to save you. I’m here because I followed Fiona through a portal.”
Aaron, weak from the heat, stumbled backward a bit and collapsed to the sand. Kaila and my mother hurried over to assist the old man, while I continued gawking at Asher, trying to digest the news that my boyfriend was a freaking prince.
“What are they talking about?” I asked him.
“It’s a long story,” he said.
“I’m listening.” I folded my arms across my chest. I thought Asher had told me everything—all of his secrets—but I was most definitely mistaken. This was some pretty monumental news. The prince of the Monarchy?
Asher looked at my father for some sort of man support or something, but my father, being a smart and diplomatic man, stepped away and went to help with Aaron. Soraya and her curmudgeon husband, Saul, stuck close by. Jeff stood between both groups, straddling the conversations. His sun-bleached blond hair draping over his forehead reminded me so much of his son Julian.
“Well?” I said, still waiting for Asher to explain.
“I suppose I left out one minor detail of my background,” he said.
“Oh, you mean the part about you being a prince?”
“I wanted to tell you, Fiona, but it’s complicated. I was born into the Monarchy as a Light Being. My father is, well, he’s the head of the Monarchy.”
I know my mouth was hanging open because the inside dried out in an instant. “Your father is the head of the Monarchy?”
“Yeah. But I left a long time ago. I didn’t like being cooped up in that realm, overhearing all of the horrible things going on across the dimensions. I wanted to help in a tangible way. So I abdicated the throne and took on a physical form. I had been posing as a bounty hunter for a few reasons. One, it was the last place anyone would look for me, and two, it was the best way to infiltrate the Shadow Order and other evil factions.”
I stood there, too stunned to speak. My boyfriend had just told me he was the son of the king of the Monarchy. I was shell-shocked.
He stepped closer and held my shoulders, looking deep into my eyes. I tried to pull away, but he forced me to look at him. “I figured I’d try to help you guys out directly, rather than from afar like my dad.”
“I’m uh, I don’t know what to say … Thanks? I mean, you’ve been incredibly helpful …” I sounded like a robot, but I was seriously tripping out. And I couldn’t look him in the eye because I suddenly felt significantly inadequate. A mere human in the presence of the celestial prince.
Asher pulled me away from the group of Protectors for some privacy. He cupped my face, and I shivered from head to toe, despite the lava-degree heat. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” he whispered. “I didn’t want to put your life in further jeopardy. It never seemed to be the right moment.”
“That moment in my bedroom when I first got back from training would’ve worked. Especially since we were about to … you know …” I glanced over my shoulder to make sure my parents couldn’t overhear our conversation. “Or while we were in New York together. That would’ve been a good time.”
“I was planning to tell you, then Ezra came and took me away for trial. And when he brought me to New York, we were kind of on a time crunch looking for Cagliostro. Trust me, I was going to tell you when the time was right.”
The tenderness in his eyes warmed my heart, which was pounding like a jackhammer against my ribs. Asher had such an intense effect on me. I loved him, deeply. And I knew from looking into his eyes that he loved me too. “I’m not exactly ‘princess’ material …” I said.
“I’m not exactly ‘prince’ material …” He leaned down and kissed me, and for a moment I didn’t care about his royal status, or the sand and the heat, or the fact that we might be stranded in desert hell for eternity. I just wanted to be with Asher.
six
The sound of someone clearing their throat brought me back to reality. Asher and I were having an intimate moment in front of my parents and a bunch of other Protectors, including an elder.
“Sorry,” I said, pulling away from Asher and turning to the group.
“We cleared things up.” Asher smiled. “But let’s drop the title, okay?”
“Whatever you say,” Saul grumbled. His wife, Soraya, slapped his arm.
We walked over to my mother and father. I politely smiled an
d said, “Let’s try this again … Mom, Dad, this is Asher. We met in San Francisco when he was pretending to be a bounty hunter who was pretending to be a contractor.”
My father chuckled and gave Asher a sturdy shake. “Hunter Farrow; good to know my daughter has impeccable taste in men.”
“Sign of a solid father figure,” Asher said, making me roll my eyes.
My mother began to bow slightly. “Eva Farrow, nice to meet you.”
Asher lifted her back up. “Oh, please. None of that. We’re all equals here. This isn’t the Monarchy, so titles and hierarchical formalities are unnecessary.”
Kaila and Jeff stepped forward and greeted Asher.
“Julian’s parents?” he asked them.
“Yes, how’d you know?” Kaila asked.
“His hair, your eyes,” Asher replied.
“He’s okay? Isn’t he?” Kaila clutched Asher’s arm.
Jeff pulled her back. “I’m sure Julian is just fine, isn’t that right?”
“Your son is a brave man. Just before I went through Cagliostro’s portal, he was fighting off demons with another Protector. They were winning,” Asher said.
I hoped he was telling the truth, because I couldn’t remember what had happened toward the end of that battle at Rhapsody Grove. It all happened so fast. Me running toward Cagliostro to grab the Scroll, then crashing into the moat and being shot into oblivion.
Saul and Soraya came forward. “We’re the Ayres,” Soraya said. “We arrived here after Kaila and Jeff, just before Fiona.”
Saul shook Asher’s hand. “Our Scroll was stolen by Cagliostro during a battle in Chicago. The prick sent a pack of wolves after us. He got a hold of the Scroll and the next thing we knew—poof—we’re in this shit-hole.”
“Chicago must’ve been after we went through the portal,” I said to Asher. “Time is strange here.”
“It’s an honor to meet all of you,” Asher said, then walked over to the old man. “I have fond memories of you from my childhood, Aaron of Sardis. Your bloodline is still holding strong. Rocco is a warrior.”