Door in the Garden of Shadows

by April Canavan

  She wasted no time when the two women had left the throne room. “Do you deserve her?”

  “Not in a million years. I’ve done so many terrible things. Mykah, she’s the epitome of goodness.”

  “Everyone has darkness in their souls, Tyler.” She smiled at him, “It’s what they choose to do with it that makes them who they are. You’ve fought for your king for so long, do you think you’ll be able to leave his side to fight for her?”

  “I’ll burn all of the realms to the ground to save her.” Tyler knew that if he could see his reflection, he’d see the truth in his words. “Yours. Mine. Hell, I’d face the Dragon King himself, if it meant that I could keep her safe.”

  “I control spirit magic,” Jessica said quietly. “Did you know that?”

  “No,” Tyler didn’t even know what spirit magic was. “I mean, the mother of all just said that you had the ancient power, so I assumed it was blood magic like your sister.”

  “She was the only one blessed with that particular gift. Instead, I was given the power to control the spirit. All of them. Living and dead. I can summon them, banish them, and bring a soul back from the dead if I desire.” Jessica looked away, and Tyler could tell that admitting her power to him was opening herself up to weakness.

  “What does that have to do with anything.” Even as he spoke though, he knew what she was saying. Where she was going with it.

  “I could give you back your soul,” Jessica’s words echoed in his heart, and should have caused a different reaction. Instead, he just let her finish. “You’d be human, but you wouldn’t be able to see her. Ever again.” She had a sad smile on her face, and Tyler realized what she was doing.

  “No. Not a chance.” He wouldn’t give the possibility of being with Mykah up for anything, even the hope of getting his mortal soul back.

  “You’d give up your life, a life with the potential to have a meaning, just for the possibility of having time with her?” She laced her fingers together and stared at him with a calculating look in her eyes.

  “I’d give up anything,” his words cut through to his very core. Tyler was going to have to tell her. “A vampire falls in love once. That’s it, I know you know that. Your sister calls to me on a level I don’t think I’ll ever understand. Since the day I held her in my arms to keep her safe from Dante, I haven’t been able to get her out of my head.”

  “I don’t know how long she’ll be gone, Tyler. It could be a day, a week, or it could be a hundred years.” She wasn’t smiling anymore, and the look on her face was pure anguish. She already missed her sister, and the pain was obvious. “I don’t know how time moves on the Isles. I won’t know until she summons me.” She was rubbing at her chest, and Tyler knew that there was something there that was important.

  “Then I’ll be here waiting for her. If you’ll have me.” He watched her face light up, and he knew that he had passed whatever test she was giving him.

  “You’ll stay.” That was the end of it. He just had to tell his best friend that he wouldn’t be returning to the Blood Court.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Mykah met her mother. A woman she had only ever seen pictures of, paintings that could never do justice to the beauty that stood before her. Tall and thin, her body was exactly like that of a ballerina. Her hair was the same shade of red as Mykah’s, although it did flow to her knees. Her eyes were cornflower blue, and the smile she gave Mykah was filled with the years that separated them.

  Hesitantly, she moved to her mother and fell into the embrace that was offered. “Oh, mama. I’ve dreamed of this forever.”

  “My dear precious girl. I am so happy to finally hold you in my arms. There has been a piece of my soul missing since the day I lost you.” Sweet and tinkling, like the sound of rain falling from the sky and landing on glass, her mother’s voice brought happiness and peace to the chaos inside her.

  “Sonya, let the child go. You have plenty of time to see her.” Her father spoke from where he was at in the kitchen.

  “Shut your gab, Eamon. I’ve never been able to hold my child, and you’ll not stand in my way now.” Her mother squeezed Mykah a little closer, but she wouldn’t complain. “My wee girl, you shouldn’t be here yet. Still, I’ll take any time with you I can get.” Sniffling, she finally released Mykah and stepped away.

  “You need to start training, child. You shouldn’t stay in this realm any longer than you have to. I am so happy that you get to see your mother, and that we can spend this time with you but you do not belong here. We need to get you home.” Her father moved away from the kitchen and hugged her gently before kissing her on the forehead and leading the way into the sitting room.

  “I never possessed the ancient abilities. I don’t know what use I can be, but I don’t want to be away from you, Mykah.” With sad eyes, Sonya watched her, but Mykah didn’t want to let her go just yet.

  “Come with us, mama. I don’t want to let you go.” She tentatively reached for her mother’s hand and was overjoyed when she held it in her own.

  Learning about her abilities should have felt exciting and compelling, but all Mykah wanted to do was spend the days with her parents. She wanted to learn about her mother, have all of the experiences that she had missed out on. She wanted to feel her mother’s hands winding through her hair as she brushed and braided it. She listened as her father told her the history of blood magic and how she could learn to control it, but the entire time she daydreamed about what it would be like if she never had to go home.

  She spent the night reminiscing with her father about her childhood, reliving everything from her youth for her mother and grandfather. He told them all about the time that Mykah and Jessica decided that clothes weren’t essential and ran naked around the court when they were toddlers. And the time that Mykah snuck a pack of monkeys into the palace so they could live on the vines in peace. They laughed well into the early hours of the morning, and by the time she crawled into bed, Mykah felt like she was home.

  Time passed quickly, and one day turned into two, and then ten days had passed. In that time, Mykah had learned a lot about what it meant to control blood magic, but she didn’t feel like she was ready. Her father had stopped mentioning the fact that she needed to get back to her realm. She smiled more, and if there was a part of her heart that felt like it was empty; she wouldn’t tell anyone else. At night when she closed her eyes if she dreamt of her sister and a certain marshmallowy vampire, no one needed to know. The dreams faded a little more every night, anyways. Until one night they stopped altogether, leaving Mykah to oblivion.

  It had been two weeks since her arrival in the Eternal Isles the first time she brought something back to life. A seedling had died, and Eamon had put it into a pot and brought it into their practice area for her to try and use her powers on.

  “Try now, Mykah. Picture the blood leaving your body and traveling into the tree. The magic in your blood, every drop holds enough power to bring the elder grove back a dozen times over. Just focus, and let it go.” He handed her a silver knife, and both he and her mother watched as Mykah cut her palm and let the crimson life force pool in the center of her hand.

  “Please,” she whispered. “Please work.”

  Remembering everything she had learned, Mykah closed her eyes and pulled every ounce of power from the collected blood in her mind and pictured it moving to the dead tree’s roots. When she couldn’t feel any more power in the blood, she slowly opened her eyes. Both her parents were looking at her with shock and pride. Seeing to the pot that held the seedling, she gasped. Where a small and withered specimen had been now stood a three–foot–tall sapling, full of life.

  “Oh, lord. I’ve done it.”

  “Yes, my lómhara, my precious girl. You’ve done it.” Moira spoke up from behind her son and pushed Eamon to the side. “You have become so strong, child, I don’t know how you’ve done it.”

  “Mother, she’s always had the power inside her. She just had to learn how to use it.”
Sonya stood with a smile on her face, the pride of a mother evident in her eyes.

  Her mother looked at her father, a sad smile transforming her beauty into something ethereal. He nodded at her, and she left the room after taking Moira by the arm. Mykah looked at them, confusion clouding the adrenaline rush of her accomplishment.

  “What is it, father?” She asked hoping that he would tell her nothing was wrong, but she had a feeling she wasn’t going to like what came next.

  “Nothing, child. Nothing at all.” There were tears in his eyes, and Mykah was confused. “But you must be tired. Why don’t you rest, and we can continue your training in the morning?”

  She hadn’t realized that it was so late outside, but the sun had set leaving darkness in all of the windows, filtering into the rooms.

  “I love you papa. I’ll see you in the morning.” Mykah fell into her bed sometime later, and the empty feeling that had taken up residence in her chest felt strangely lighter.

  Staring up at her ceiling, she couldn’t figure out why she had been so sad. She couldn’t remember the reason she had come to the Isles, but she didn’t want to leave. Everything was perfect. She felt complete for the first time in her life. She felt welcome. Like nothing could hurt her. As the last bits of consciousness slipped away from her, a single memory haunted her. As darkness filled every corner of her mind, a single blue star filled the sky. Beckoning to her, it pulsed through her mind, calling her to come home. But it was too late, there was nothing left. With a smile on her lips, she welcomed a dreamless sleep.

  Tyler walked into the throne room with a frustrated growl. “It’s been six months, Jessica. Why won’t she come home? Why won’t she call?” But he didn’t need Jessica to answer him, they both knew that there was no way they could predict what was happening in the Eternal Isles.

  Instead, the fae queen turned to face the man at her side. “Chris, is there any other way?” Hope resonated in her words, but the look on her face showed how desperate she was.

  In the time that Mykah had been gone, the drain on the dark fae court had grown daily. The court had become unpredictable and dangerous to outsiders. More than once, Tyler had woken up to vines covering his entire body, attempting to strangle him. The Malice Court was growing unsteady with its princess gone, and the balance was threatened. Christopher, the light fae king, had been summoned by Jessica to help in any way possible. It sounded like he was walking into him telling her that there was nothing to do.

  “I told you. This is the only way.” He looked apologetic, and Tyler felt terrible for both him and Jessica.

  In the time he had spent in the dark fae court, he had learned a lot about the queen. Where he had only seen her as power hungry and grasping in the past, he now saw the devoted woman that she was. He had seen her spend hours tutoring children in the ways of magic. She had listened to every concern brought to her by her people and had diligently worked on solutions that benefited everyone. She ruled them like a mother would her children, doing what she felt was best. It impressed him, immensely. He could see why she had been able to ascend the throne.

  He was brought out of his reverie by her words, “I don’t think I can do it. I would give anything for my sister and for my realm, but I don’t know if I am capable of this.”

  “What is it?” He interrupted. “Will it bring her back?”

  “No,” Jessica snapped. “It won’t bring her back. What it might do is stem the loss of magic from our realm until she returns.”

  “Jessica,” Christopher said, “I don’t want you to make a decision now. Think about it, and in the meantime, we will try to find another solution.”

  “We’re not going to find anything else, are we?” She sighed and put her head in her hands.

  The light fae king looked at her, and Tyler saw the emotion in his eyes. “Probably not but I’m not going to force this on you. No one should have to marry without love.”

  Curious, Tyler moved and wanted to say something, but something tugged at the corner of his sight. Turning his head, he saw her there. Standing in the middle of the throne room, twenty feet from Jessica, was Mykah. Or rather, her reflection. It shimmered and then disappeared. His head whipped around, trying to see if anyone else had witnessed what he did. He wasn’t disappointed when the fae king was staring openmouthed at the spot where Mykah had just stood.

  “You saw her too, didn’t you?” He asked, frantically searching around the room in case she appeared somewhere else.

  “Yes. Mykah was here. Projected herself, no doubt.” Turning to Jessica, he said, “I wonder if that was her calling you?” The fae king smiled down at the queen, and Tyler thought he saw affection there. He shook his head because now was not the time to get involved in anyone’s emotions.

  “Who? What?” She looked up. “What are you talking about?” She stood, and then swayed on her feet, falling back into her throne. Christopher grabbed her before she could slip out of it, and he pulled her into his arms.

  He held the queen in his arms, “Jessica, what’s wrong?” When she didn’t answer, Christopher began to panic. Shaking her, he tried to get her to open her eyes, but Tyler couldn’t move to help the other man. “Something is wrong, Tyler. What’s going on?”

  Tyler was unable to answer him though, his limbs weren’t working. Everything was growing fuzzy around the edges, and he could feel the world slipping around him. Reality was shifting, and he knew that he should try to get help. When he attempted to take a step, he fell into a thick mist that had risen up from the ground and then there was nothing but the thought of Mykah, and how he needed to get her home safe.

  There was nothing, just the darkness that always accompanied her sleep. One moment she was surrounded by it, and the next the night sky was above her. Shining brightly in that sky was the moon, full and beautiful. A woman was sitting there, on grass that was greener than any she could remember. Fae, with long blonde hair, she was looking around with wide blue eyes. There was something about her that called to Mykah, but she didn’t know what it could be. Next to her was a man, and they both looked exhausted. Drained, their eyes held shadows that Mykah did not recognize. The man was not fae, but he held a hint of magic. His eyes were gold, shining brightly in the dark. He had brightly colored tattoos on his arms, and Mykah felt drawn to him. Moving closer, she was torn in two. She wanted to see them, to talk to them; but she also wanted to fade into the darkness.

  “Where are we?” The man asked, turning his head and looking straight at Mykah’s location in the pitch black. “Do you see anything?” His voice sent prickles of awareness down her skin.

  “No. This can’t be the regular night. These shadows envelop everything, I can’t even see my hand if I raise it in front of my face.” The woman’s voice pulled at Mykah’s heart, and she felt like she should know these two. She just couldn’t figure out how.

  “We’ve lost her, haven’t we?” The woman was saying. “I want her back more than anything, more than I want to save our realm. She’s not going to come back to us.”

  “Don’t say that. Don’t you dare give up on her. You didn’t give up on her when the mother of all condemned her. You stood by her and refused to let her be cast out of your world. Don’t give up on her now.” He spoke so passionately, Mykah felt herself get drawn into his argument.

  “She gave up on us. This isn’t me giving up, Tyler.” The woman put her head down, her chin falling against her arms, which were now crossed and resting on her knees.

  Tyler. His name was Tyler. Tyler. Why did that make her heart hurt? Why did it tug at her heartstrings? There was a memory there, something she couldn’t quite grasp. What was it?

  “I love her.” The woman said. “She’s my sister, I’ll always take care of her.” The pain in her voice reached into Mykah’s chest and shattered her heart into a million pieces.

  “Jessica.” She whispered, through the pain. “Jessica, I remember.” And she did.

  Every memory. Every joke and fight that Mykah had
shared with her sister came rushing back. All her feelings and every emotion she had forgotten was suddenly there, and the pain drove her to her knees. The time she had spent in Tyler’s arms, the passion they had shared. Everything came back and wiped the darkness away. She was left on the grass, clutching her chest, feet away from the two people she cared about most in the world.

  “Mykah?” Tyler asked, “Mykah are you okay?” He rushed to her side, but she couldn’t open her eyes through the agony. “I’m here, love. I’ve got you.” He swept her into his arms, rocking back and forth.

  “Tyler, be careful with her.” Jessica said, “It’s going to take me a minute to get us home.” In the silence that followed, she felt Jessica’s power covering her, pushing itself into her mind and body, making itself at home. Wrapping her in a cocoon, it buffered her against the onslaught of the travel she knew was coming.

  If she could open her eyes, she would have seen Jessica using her power to bring them back to the Malice Court. If she had seen any of it, maybe she would have been able to stay awake. Instead, the pain of her lost memories swallowed her and pushed her into unconsciousness.

  “She was here too long, my love,” Eamon said, watching his children disappear into the night.

  “I wish we could have kept her forever,” Sonya whispered into his chest, as she cried for the pain her daughters would face.

  “That is impossible. We should have sent her back before now. I was selfish, though, and wanted to see you happy.” He caressed her back, wishing that he could give her everything she wanted.

  She sniffled and turned up to face him. “Why can’t we help them? Why can’t we fight by their sides?” There was a hint of stubbornness in her eyes, the same look that had attracted him to her so long ago.

  There was nothing they could do. “This isn’t our battle. It never was. Have faith because the mother will watch over them like she has done since the beginning. She’ll watch over all of them.” They had agreed, when the mother of all had told them what was coming, that they would let their children fight. They could not change the course of fate, and the destruction of magic would only be stopped by those that were chosen.