Sacrifice (The Wayward King, The Projector's Mother, and A Prophecy Reborn) (A Fated Fantasy Quest Adventure Book 9)

by Rachel Humphrey - D'aigle

  “He freed your mother,” she surmised. Juliska had learned the truth years ago. The real story of how Aloyna had ended up cursed and in the glass. A stab of some feeling she could not place made her wince ever so slightly.

  “Juliska.” Fazendiin’s voice reached her in a manner in which warned they were treading on dangerous waters. “Are you having second thoughts?”

  “About what?”

  “Anything? Everything?”

  She stared him down, not entirely sure what he meant by that.

  “Do you still want revenge on those who snuffed out the life of your child?”

  “Of course I do.”

  “I sense doubt.”

  “There is none,” she insisted.

  “Very well. You know where your room is.”

  “I’m to stay here?”

  “For a time. I’m going to need your help with a little project. And then you’ll be free to return to the island, and finish out whatever revenge you see fit upon those who have wronged you.”

  “Will my island still be intact when I return? Or will your son take all those lives into his own hands as well?” her words slid out bitterly.

  “Colby has recently solidified his allegiance. You don’t have to worry about my son.”

  Her gaze claimed, I’ll believe it when I see it. There was something else strange going on around here. Something that made her uncertain about staying. He was keeping her for a reason, but it felt more like, keeping her out of the way. And she did not enjoy that one bit. She wasn’t the naïve young woman who’d first come here as his prisoner. So why was he reverting to treating her as such?

  But in the end, this was Fazendiin’s estate and his plans; she was merely a willing passenger who’d get her revenge along the way. She flattened her gaze, accepting the momentary visitation as necessary.

  “What is the project?” She’d see it done sooner, than later.

  “I need to borrow something, in order to solidify my agreement with KarNavan.”

  “What agreement have you made?”

  Fazendiin replied with a sly grin. “A good one.”

  “I can’t for the life of me guess what it is of mine, you need to borrow.”

  There was a dark chuckle at her wording, but he said nothing. Not just yet.

  “I will be in my room, waiting.” Like an obedient child, she added under her breath in snide humiliation.

  “Don’t worry about getting too comfortable,” he told her. “It won’t be too long a wait.”

  Which meant she was being sent away to keep her from wandering around in the meantime. She supposed there was nothing to be done about it. Fazendiin would borrow whatever he wanted to, and after, she’d go after her revenge.

  CHAPTER 11

  It had been one of the longest nights of her life. After a few hours snuggling on the bed, but neither falling asleep, Meghan and Sebastien had proceeded to take turns attempting to rest, but mostly took turns pacing the room. They didn’t have enough knowledge of past events to figure out why she’d been sent to this time. Only that they were at the cusp of the great Stone War, and its end. Or, delay, seeing as it never truly ended.

  She had what she recalled from her blood vision, the one she’d traveled with Colin and Colby when they’d first freed Alyona from the glass. Which was about the prophecy of the three immortal children, and how her grandmother had come to be cursed into the glass, by Fazendiin himself, right after the battle in which the nine Grosvenor had been created.

  There was the little bit she’d gotten from what she’d seen in Colin’s mind, when they’d finally caught up with each other after his time with Jasper. Which really only added that Jasper and others had fought in this battle to stop the Immortality Stone from being created, but only partially succeeded. But then they were able to steal the Stone and hide it. Which as it turns out was her father’s intention all along. Let someone else babysit the thing.

  But in her blood vision she’d seen Aloyna and Jasper discuss the prophecy.

  So when did she come around to making it up, and implementing it? It seemed like they were running out of time for it to happen.

  She sprung upward in frustration, sitting on the edge of the bed, having laid down with the full knowledge she’d not sleep.

  “What?” Sebastien stopped pacing and grabbed a seat at the end of the bed.

  “I keep coming back to the fact that the Immortality Stone hasn’t been created yet.”

  “And the potential of keeping it that way.”

  “What if we could change history? Make it so the Immortality Stone was never created?”

  Sebastien sank into the mattress a little deeper. “I’ve been thinking about it too. What it would mean if that one moment never happened?”

  “It would mean the future would be rewritten. And my first thought is, who the hell am I to even try such a thing? My second thought is, who else could? My third thought is, neither of us, or anyone we know and love, might even be born, or exist, if we do it. Most especially, me. Or Colin, or Colby. Because there’d never be a prophecy. And my last thought is, even if we were able to foil the creation, chances are that would not stop my father, only delay him.”

  “Which means we might change the future, but to what? And is trying, worth it? And would be destroying something we shouldn’t, only going to make it worse?”

  “Can you imagine, Sebastien, going back to our time, and not knowing what to expect, or if we’d even be?”

  “That’s a mind tumble, or ten. And say we even decide to attempt this crazy notion, how? How would we stop it?”

  Meghan got up and left the room. Sebastien was right behind her. They were not surprised to find Aloyna, Jasper, and Robert at the table with a stack of papers and notes and maps.

  They stopped and smiled, grimly.

  “Were you able to rest?” Aloyna asked them.

  “Not really. Been doing a lot of thinking, actually. Trying to figure out why I am here.”

  “I’m afraid it’s something only you’ll probably be able to figure out,” offered Jasper. “But you are feeling certain you were sent here for a specific purpose?”

  “I must have been. And I’ve been wracking my brain trying to sort out why. Sebastian and I were talking, and, well, I know we can’t say too much about the future, but can I clarify something? I think we’re safe on this topic.”

  “Shoot,” decided Jasper.

  “Okay, so I know we’ve come back during the Stone War, but I’m trying to figure out exactly when. From what I’ve gathered from listening to you guys, the really big Stone has already been created? You know, the one Stone to rule them all,” she joked gloomily. “But it’s not yet been turned into the Immortality Stone, right?”

  Aloyna’s tongue got befuddled for a moment. “I only yesterday morning returned from a mission in which I found this Stone. Robert followed them, after I returned. We believe they are planning on using that Stone to perform some very powerful magic.”

  “They all want to be immortal,” Robert chimed in, confirming this fact. “I think they’ll find it’s not all it’s cracked up to be.” Meghan eyed him with questions ready to roll off her tongue. “I’m not a true immortal, but as a Projector I can live for a very long time. I’m already almost three hundred.”

  “Years?” Meghan choked out. “Wow. I guess I knew that, obviously you guys can live really, really long lives, it’s just, kind of crazy to realize what that means.”

  “It’s a bit overrated if you if ask me.” There seemed to be a lot he thought about the topic, but now wasn’t the time. Jasper gave him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. Meghan wanted to ask more, but she needed to keep on target.

  “Okay, so, what if I really was sent back here to stop the Immortality Stone from being created?”

  “The way you speak about it, it’s like you have some intimate knowledge about this Stone,” Jasper expressed.

  Boy, did she! And she hadn’t even told them how she came to
live, or how she was a part of the Stone. Robert was looking at her rather funny though. She placed the thought in his head, please don’t tell. She didn’t want to mess up things that should not be. He tore his gaze away, deep in thought about what he’d just seen in her head. It was a lot to take in.

  A fake prophecy, three immortals born to bring balance. Looked like the future wasn’t any less crazy than the today.

  “When we ran into the two of you yesterday,” went on Aloyna, “we’d just left a meeting. We are working on a plan of attack to try to stop the creation of this Immortality Stone. And working on a way to destroy the Stone.”

  “We are standing on a dangerous precipice,” whispered Robert. They all understood his meaning. They had two people with knowledge of the future. A potential way to stop all of this before it started. But messing with time, and the future, and the past, might have consequences they were not aware of.

  “I’m a, not sure how to move forward,” Meghan admitted. “I was toying with trying to stop my father from creating the Immortality Stone. But to be honest, I’m not sure how I’d go about that. I’m afraid we are not much help in the, how to stop it, department. Or if we’d somehow be doing even more damage, by doing so.”

  “Perhaps we are not meant to stop it then.” Jasper let out a thoughtful breath. “Maybe we are thinking about this all wrong.”

  “What do you mean?” asked Sebastien.

  “Perhaps you’re not here to change the past. Maybe there’s nothing we can do to stop it.”

  “Then why would I be here? If not to stop it from happening?”

  “Learn something of value to take into the future,” suggested Aloyna. “Something you could only learn here, in this time, but would only be useful to you in your time.”

  Meghan blew out a large pocket of air and sank into a chair. “I’m so tired of my life being one never ending riddle.” Sebastien tossed her a sympathetic smile. This was getting them nowhere. Getting rid of the Stone, or stopping its creation, seemed the only conclusion she could come to.

  “What’s all this nonsense about a prophecy?” Robert chimed in out of the blue. He didn’t sound too keen about prophecies. Then again, neither was Meghan really. She’d been thinking about it just then. It was a little creepy to have a guy get into her head, who wasn’t one of her brothers, and she wasn’t able to block out. And it must have shown on her face.

  “I’m out of your head, Red.” He winked like it was no big.

  Jasper and Aloyna waited for her to explain.

  “I’m a, not sure how much I should say about that.”

  “Probably best not to,” scoffed Aloyna. “Never met a prophecy I liked.” Jasper grunted out an agreement.

  Meghan and Sebastien stared in befuddlement. She caught his eye and they had a short, but wordless, conversation over this. It made no sense. The most important part of this battle was about to go down, in which the Grosvenor were created, Jasper and Aloyna fought over this prophecy she was creating, and after, she got cursed into the glass and…

  “Oh my God…” Meghan’s breath caught up in her throat.

  “Meghan?” Sebastien saw a beacon blazing in her eyes. She’d figured it out.

  She passed a heavy gape by each of them, the full measure of this truth sinking deep into her mind as if it had been anchored there, all along, biding its time.

  “I know why I’m here. It’s me. It’s all me.”

  “What is?” Sebastien questioned her.

  She put her hand over her mouth letting it slide down her chin, breathed out nervously and then got to her feet, pacing anxiously.

  “It’s me,” she mumbled. “It’s not you,” she aimed at Aloyna.

  “Oh. Oh…” Sebastien pieced it together. He bounded from his chair and grasped Meghan by her shoulders. “Are you really sure about this? Knowing all you know, now. With all Colby showed you about what your father has in store for you. What you’ll be going back to. What you’ve already lived through.”

  He saw the determination fix in her eyes, with an equal mix of terror and certainty. He nodded and backed away. This wasn’t his choice.

  Everyone waited for her to explain. Even Robert, rather than invade her thoughts.

  “I know why I’m here.” Saying the actual words were mind blowing, but trying to think about how she came from the future, only to come to the past, and create this… “Okay, so um, there’s this prophecy. I recently found out it was fake. Made up, I thought, by you,” she aimed at Aloyna. Who wore the look of, I’d never do such a thing.

  “Except you do. But not because you make it up. Because I do. I made it up. Not you. Because I know everything that has to happen to get to the future we are at now. You’re right. We cannot change the past. We cannot change what happened. However, we can prepare for the future.”

  They gawked at her like she was crazy. And possibly, brilliant.

  “My father doesn’t know this prophecy isn’t real,” she continued. “At least I’m almost certain of this. Actually, it’s one of the few things I’d wager my life on. He does not know. And that, is how we’re going to win this war.”

  Meghan sounded certain, and felt certain, and hoped to hell she was right.

  “Interesting,” Robert was mumbling a moment later. “Sorry, had to hop in for a minute after all that. That’s a pretty crazy life you’ve led so far, Red.”

  “That’s one way to look at it I guess. But what do you think?” She honestly wanted to know, before she set in to explaining to Aloyna, her terrible future. And Jasper, she probably wasn’t allowed to tell him he wouldn’t survive to see Aloyna free again.

  She saw the recognition in Robert’s eyes. He passed a glance between his two friends. He believed everything Meghan was showing him, and this news hurt more than anything else. So much so, that for the first time since she’d met him, he needed a minute to control his emotions before they overcame him and made his Projector’s powers go berserk.

  “Why don’t you let me explain,” Robert offered after a minute. “Seems you’ve had to more times than you’d like, already.” Meghan grinned wearily. It took a little to warm up to the guy, but she liked Robert Motley. And so she sat back, and listened, as he basically retold her life story to Aloyna and Jasper, and all about the prophecy that was created by Meghan Jacoby.

  CHAPTER 12

  Catrina bolted awake to heavy breaths, incoherent mumblings, and Colin’s body convulsing in his sleep. She also awoke to her bed no longer in the lighthouse, but suddenly the scene of whatever dreams were playing out in Colin’s mind.

  There was no other explanation for what she was seeing. Something had happened when they were asleep, and his dreams were attempting to live themselves out.

  They were in the woods. And she stared, wide-eyed, as the ominous figure of Freyne Rothrock slithered closer, extending a long, bony arm toward her throat. She shouted as thin fingers enclosed around her neck, cutting off her scream.

  All the while, some distance away, Jurekai Fazendiin was sitting on the branch of a tree, looking down over them with a satisfied glower. Juliska was by his side, smiling, and oddly, holding a bag of popcorn, like she was ready to enjoy the show.

  Catrina screamed for Colin to wake up. It came out gurgled due to the hand squeezing around her throat.

  Colin’s body jolted and his eyes flew open.

  The nightmare dissolved, the bony fingers no longer choking Catrina. But the red mark of his dream hands still lingered on her skin.

  They were back in the lighthouse and night had come.

  Colin stared, somewhat blankly, his brain trying to catch up with what was happening. He caught the fear Catrina was trying desperately to make go away.

  “Wh-what happened?” he breathed out.

  “I think whatever you were dreaming…” she waved her arms around.

  His dreams and nightmares had become momentary living things. Even in his sleep, he was not safe to be around. He nearly sent Catrina away from him. He di
d not want to, but he was putting her in danger, even while only sleeping.

  “It’s okay, Colin. It’s over now.” She put on a brave face.

  He sat up, got up, tussled his messy hair and let his hands cover his face. He needed to be locked away somewhere. Some place where he could not hurt anyone. But did a place like that even exist?

  Catrina was up and pulling his hand down away from his face a moment later.

  “I didn’t know that could happen,” he told her, apologies rampant in his tone.

  “Now we know.” Although she had no idea how they dealt with this kind of problem. And could a dream coming to life, kill her, for real?

  Colin shifted away from her, horrified. In need of the courage to do the right thing and send her somewhere safe.

  There was an ear-splitting crack behind them.

  He spun around to see Tanzea Chase on the spiral staircase leading upward to the lighthouse tower. There was a shriek and a howl outside, followed by another. Eyes blazed through the windows. She had not come alone.

  When his mind had gone on the fritz he must have lost control of the magical protection cloak. And they’d been traced. Colin bounded in front of Catrina, trying to regain the control he needed to protect her.

  Tanzea gave a silent order and they heard wings slapping against the wind, outside. Glass shattered, the windows broken.

  Colin’s deadly stare stuck on Tanzea. Didn’t she remember that Scratchers were no match for him? He had destroyed one, and had no problem destroying more.

  “Careful, boy,” she spat out. “One of them might be your friend.”

  Jae…

  Crap…

  Colin was mortified because she was right in her assumptions that he’d not want to hurt Jae.

  He was freaking out that even if he got them re-cloaked, and took them away from this spot, they might be traced or followed. His magic wasn’t cooperating and the anger boiling in his blood was not helping.

  The very idea they’d use Jae against him was sadistic. And if one of these Scratchers was Jae, he had to be dying inside too. This wasn’t him. Not really.