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by Jamie Magee

  “We’re not meant to live in turmoil; I believe we decide if we’re happy,” I said, looking at him.

  “Maybe so, but I’ve seen more tragedy than good,” Alamos said bleakly.

  “Think of the good that’ll come, not the tragedy that’s occurred - and you’ll find a peace that’s escaped you,” I said to him.

  He smiled at me. “I just wish you could feel how much I love you...how much Drake loves you,” he said, looking back at the wall.

  “I don’t doubt the way the both of you feel about me. You know my insight is rare. The rest of the world has the pleasure of discovering the emotions in others by their actions, their words; I sense an emotion and make a judgment. It’s not my place to judge. Sometimes I feel the insight is more of a curse.”

  Alamos looked down at me, his aged eyes studying my every feature. “Aliyanna couldn’t feel others as clearly as you can, but she understood others’ emotions more deeply than any other soul I’ve met. It’s a blessing, not a curse. You have the ability to understand what drives the emotion, which would make you a sound ruler.”

  “I’m not going to rule anyone,” I said in a tranquil tone.

  “That is growing more and more clear with each passing moment,” Alamos said.

  “I need you to stop pushing me in Drake’s direction; you cause him more stress than peace when you do so.”

  “I only want him to be happy. He deserves to have at least one life of complete contentment,” Alamos said.

  My eyes questioned his words as he looked away.

  “He will have that life,” I answered.

  As I felt Landen enter the room, I turned. “Well?” I thought.

  “I had to convince him; he’s afraid it will hurt you.”

  I looked at Drake; he was staring at me with a solemn face. I smiled at him and moved my head from side to side. I wanted him to know that I wanted him safe and that I’d be fine. He let a smile come across his face.

  Alamos called Landen to his side, and Landen eagerly came, wanting any council he could get on moving the wall. When Alamos began the same lesson I’d just heard, I walked to the table. My father extended his arm for me to come to his side. The others were seated around the table.

  “This is a brilliant plan. I’m proud of you,” my father said.

  “It was Drake’s idea,” I said, looking around the table and judging the others’ emotions. Overall, they were pleased that we’d found a peace with Drake - but they feared it, too; they thought Landen trusted him too much.

  Marc and Brady came in the room. Marc had changed into Drake’s clothes, and he had his hair tossed back in the same manner that Drake wore his. The sleeves on his shirt were rolled up, revealing the dragon I’d drawn on him.

  Drake looked him over carefully and smiled. “You nearly fooled me. This is going to work,” he said. “Come, there’s a room here that looks like my chambers. I’ll show you where I sit and how I act in there in case anyone’s watching.”

  Marc nodded and followed Drake out of the room. Brady was smiling at our fathers. “I was just thinking that I should go and get you so you can help us get them home - and now here you are. Let me guess: Libby and Preston?” Brady said, amused by his words.

  They smiled back at him. August waved Brady to the table, and Landen came to my side. Alamos appeared at my other side.

  August cleared his throat. “Alright. On the roof, there’s a weather main, and a passage is beneath it. All of us will go to the roof with them. Once the wall is moved, they’ll stop time. When it resumes, Drake will already be in the string. Ashten, you need to step into the string. Follow Drake’s path; there’s a chance he’ll be too weak to have made it all the way back. You must make sure he gets to the chamber and that Marc is out safely. Alamos and Beth are going to try and stall the members of the court long enough for Drake to gain some kind of strength.”

  I looked up at Landen; he was trying not to smile, not to seem overconfident. We both knew that if Drake used me as a source, he wouldn’t need any time to gain his strength. By the time Ashten made it to the string, he’d more than likely be standing in front of the court - mocking rage at Delen.

  “Landen and Willow are going to be weak as well,” August continued. “They’ll need to go home immediately. Brady, Chrispin, and Jason will need to guide them, carry them - whatever they need. Nyla, Olivia, and I will stay here and walk the streets; the people in Delen are going to be terrified. Once you’ve gotten Landen, Willow, and Drake where they need to be, all of you need to return here and make your presence known in the streets; the more of us they see, the calmer they’ll be. It’s going to be a long night,” he finished.

  Everyone nodded, taking responsibility for their roles.

  “I want someone to take me and Beth back now,” Alamos said. “We’ve already been gone longer than I thought we’d be; someone is sure to be looking for us.”

  Brady extended his arm, telling Alamos to come. “I’ll take you,” he said, looking at Landen.

  “Come, we’ll find Beth and leave immediately. Wait for him to return before you move the wall,” Alamos said.

  “You should just take Marc now,” August said.

  Alamos nodded, then looked at Landen. “While you wait on their return, call on your memories. I’ll tell Drake to do the same; you need all the power you can obtain.”

  Landen took my hand and led me to one of the couches. I collapsed in his arms, then through my touch I let the emotion of love that could only belong to him flow. I watched as his energy brightened, then he let his fingers run through my hair and gently pressed his lips against the side of my temple.

  Chapter Nineteen

  I wondered for a moment if I could gain strength from the memory of being one with Landen, like he did. I closed my eyes and leaned into him, and he pulled me closer to him. My mind drifted, and my soul brought forth the emotion of absolute bliss. Time seemed to stand still, and the world - in that moment - was perfect.

  “It’s time,” Landen thought.

  I opened my eyes. I could feel Brady approaching, and I turned to see the others surrounding the table. Perodine and August were showing my father and Ashten the scroll and their notes; I felt their intent of wanting to unravel the influence of Mars before it came. I sighed, not wanting to know what that planet would bring.

  I searched the room for Drake, not finding him.

  “He’s in the observatory,” Landen thought, answering my question.

  I nodded, then he stood and gently pulled me up. The others looked up from the table.

  “Brady’s back?” August asked.

  Landen nodded. August walked around the table with the intent of telling Drake it was time. As he left the room, Brady came through the opposite doorway.

  “Did you have any problems?” Perodine asked.

  “No,” Brady answered. “This is a well thought-out plan,” he said, looking at me. I smiled back at him.

  Drake and August came back into the room. “Alright, is everyone clear?” August said into the room.

  My eyes moved to each of them; I felt their confidence in us and took ownership of it. They all seem to nod at once. Landen took my hand, and we crossed the room to meet Drake. His eyes found mine; he looked strong, confident, and eager to move forward with our plan. When we reached him, he turned to lead us to the rooftop. I felt the others follow behind us. As Drake led us to the observatory, on the back wall there was a wide metal door. Landen let go of my hand and helped Drake open it. When the door was opened, it revealed a stone staircase. Drake led us again, and we all followed.

  At the top of the stairs, I heard the wind whistling. The stars made a beautiful backdrop to the night sky. Once on the roof, I realized just how high we were; the buildings in the city reminded me of miniature toys.

  We were at the far end of the palace, and Drake led us along the roof to the weather main in the center. As we walked, I studied the sky above: above the city of Delen, the stars sparkled - but o
n the edge the gray clouds hid them; it was as if the city were trapped in a snow globe, a world of their own.

  I could see the weather main in the distance; it was almost twenty feet high at the base. I could see the night air move, and the passage we were told about was there. Landen looked down at me to make sure it was clear. We stopped just before it, and the others surrounded us.

  “Do all of you see the passage clearly?” Landen asked.

  They looked at him like he was a fool, but Landen had reason to ask; there were several passages we could see that they couldn’t.

  “Spread out, then,” Landen said.

  They all moved across the roof. My father kept his eyes on me; I knew he feared this would hurt me.

  Drake looked down at me, then to Landen. “I haven’t moved anything this big before either; all I have is Alamos’ direction,” he said.

  I look past them down to the wall. Doing as Alamos had instructed me, I saw it as a cloud.

  “I can’t imagine it being any more difficult than blocking the force of darkness,” Landen said to Drake.

  Drake nodded. “Or holding it in, forcing it out, then finding the energy to heal,” he said to Landen.

  I smiled, proud that they were encouraging one another, recognizing each other’s strength; it was a moment I never would have believed would have occurred just a few short days ago. Drake and Landen both smiled at me, and my grin grew wider. I knew the logical emotion for me to have right then was anxiety, fear - but I was calm, confident. I had them both peacefully at my side, and my family supporting me; what more could I ask for?

  I stepped nearer to the edge of the roof, and they followed me closely. From there, you could clearly see that the wall was nothing more than a giant U; the workers had yet to close in the city completely.

  “Willow,” Drake said, “you focus on the center; it’s the most stable. Landen and I will focus on the ends of the wall.”

  The wind picked up and blew my long hair out of my face. I felt like I was standing on top of the world.

  “Tell me when,” I said, not losing my focus on the innocent rain clouds my mind had created for me.

  Landen and Drake moved away from me, facing their section of the wall.

  “Now,” Landen said.

  As I kept the wall in sight, my focus moved to the energy around me. I pushed my energy forward slowly; as it stretched out from me, I could see it joining with Landen and Drake’s. I stepped forward as they did, and our energy flowed down to the wall. When the energy met the wall, a rumble could be heard from where we stood. I heard screams below; it took everything I had to block them out. I envisioned the wall of clouds rising and urged my energy to pull it up; gracefully, the wall began to rise. Dust rained down as the workers scattered, screaming in every direction. From our height, it was hard to judge how high we’d brought it. I looked across the wall to make sure that Landen and Drake were holding the sides at the same height that I was holding the center. As I took in the wonder of this massive wall being suspended in thin air, a smile came across my face; what had caused me so much worry was now in the palm of my hand. I pushed forward and watched the wall glide through the air. I then stepped closer to the edge, wanting to be able to push it as far back as possible. I could still hear the screams of the ones below, but everyone had managed to move out of the path of the wall. As it moved away, it was growing smaller and smaller, fading into the darkness.

  I felt my mind and body begin to drain, and a dizzy sensation crawled through me. Suddenly, I felt my father’s fear; I knew he was watching me closely and that I must be approaching a dangerous point. I stopped the push of energy against the wall, and it halted its glide. Slowly, the three of us let it fall to the ground. It was just inches from the earth when I had no choice but to call my energy back to me. I heard it collide with a brutal force, and the palace shook with the vibration. I fell to my knees and tried to catch my breath. My eyes searched the ground as I frantically judged the emotions around me, hoping we hadn’t hurt anyone.

  Silence came. I looked to my right side and saw Landen on his knees. He looked up at me and nodded his head in Drake’s direction; I turned to my left to find him on his knees as well. He held his head down, and I could see him fighting to catch his breath. I crawled across the short distance between us; it was only a few feet, but it might as well have been a mile. I felt so heavy, so weak.

  When I reached him, I pulled my body up onto my knees, and he looked up at me. “You can’t do this; it’ll hurt you. We’ll just keep time frozen long enough for me to find my memories,” he said.

  I reached up for his face and pulled his forehead to meet mine. “You don’t have the strength to keep time frozen; let me help you.” I whispered

  He sighed and reached out his hand to cradle my face; his numbing touch helped me find my breath. Within that second, I felt his energy inside of me, his addictive rush. A second later, he leaned back and I fell forward. He caught me in his embrace. “You are my life,” he whispered into my ear.

  He stood, lifting me. Landen had found his way to his feet, and Drake nodded in the direction of the weather main. Landen took the few steps to it, then leaned against the metal rod. Drake gently set me down in Landen’s arms, and Landen held me as tightly as he could, protecting me from falling.

  “Maybe I should take the two of you home first,” Drake said, clearly energized with my power.

  “No. Go,” Landen said, smiling slightly. “Remember to be fierce.”

  Drake grinned, finding the idea pleasurable. “Be in the string at mid-day, and make sure others are there to help you; I don’t know how many I’ll push through.”

  Landen nodded, then Drake looked at me. It took the last bit of strength I had to smile at him. He vanished into the string. Landen’s arms then tightened around me, and we slid to ground; I knew he was trying to keep time still for as long as possible, so I focused on a calm emotion: the blissful love I felt for him.

  It felt like an hour, but I’m sure it wasn’t more than ten minutes before I heard the screams from below again. I raised my head up to look at Landen, and he leaned down and kissed my lips. I felt our family rush to our side.

  “Brady, carry her,” Landen said.

  I felt Brady’s arms around me and leaned my head back to see Chrispin and Ashten helping Landen up. Landen leaned into Chrispin, letting him support him. I felt a pride rise in Chrispin; he felt needed, appreciated. I felt my father’s overwhelming concern and imagined that we looked as bad as we felt on the inside. I closed my eyes and leaned into Brady. A second later, I felt the hum of the string and the gentle flow of energy.

  Brady carried me home. They’d left Jeeps by the passage, but I don’t know who drove us to our house; I felt myself drifting in and out of consciousness.

  “Willow,” I heard my father say. I opened my eyes to see that I was in my room and that Landen was next to me. “I want you to drink this water before you fall asleep; you’re very dehydrated.”

  I pulled myself up and looked to my side. Rose was handing Landen a glass of water. My father brought the glass to my lips, and I took in what I could, then fell back. I felt myself drifting and focused on my room. It didn’t take long for me to find myself at the foot of my bed. Landen was still drinking, and his perfect blue eyes saw my soul. He smiled as he gently let himself fall back to the bed, and he held my gaze until his eyes grew too heavy to remain open.

  As Rose pulled the covers over our bodies, Landen’s soul appeared at my side. My father kissed my forehead and turned off the lamp, and we watched them leave. We could feel the urgency of Chara all around us, but even in this state, we still felt weak. Landen moved away from me to the window. I followed, curious to see why we could feel so many people so close.

  When we pulled back the curtains, we could see a line of hundreds of travelers waiting their turn to step into the string; their intent was to bring calm to Delen. Landen turned to smile at me. Our world was reaching out once again; it was
an amazing sight.

  He turned to me and slowly let his hand rest next to my heart. As his energy joined mine, a beautiful sensation raced through me; I felt as if life itself was finding its way back into my soul. I reached for his heart and watched as the glow around him grew. He slowly pulled me to him. In that moment, everything I’d been through seemed worth it.