by Tara Maya, Elle Casey, J L Bryan, Anthea Sharp, Jenna Elizabeth Johnson, Alexia Purdy (epub)
Jennet was illuminated by blue fire. She had etched a line of it in the ground between her and the Black Knight. He paced before it, unable to cross, while she sent flickering lightning bolts that burned and sizzled against his armor.
“You see?” the queen said, her voice a twilight caress. “They are well-matched. Just as you and I are, Tamlin.”
“No,” he managed to say, but somehow he was looking into the queen’s eyes.
They were fathomless, full of secrets he hadn’t even known existed. The scent of smoke and roses twisted around him, and his heart tightened. Dreams and longing pressed against his skin, against his soul.
The Dark Queen leaned forward. Her lips parted with promise, and for one fatal second he lowered his sword.
“Good,” she whispered, sending her breath into his mouth.
Then Jennet screamed.
Tam wrenched himself away from the queen. “Jennet!”
She was on her knees, the blue fire gone, her staff on the ground beside her, broken. Despair shone in her eyes. The Black Knight stood over her. Slowly, he lifted his sword.
“You have lost,” the queen said. She held up her right hand, showing Tam the sphere that held Jennet’s trapped soul. “Now I take what is rightfully mine.”
No! Defeat was bitter in his mouth, churned in his stomach. His fault. He had let the queen distract him, and she had done something to turn the battle – had used Jennet’s energy against her. But it wasn’t over yet.
“Wait,” he said. “I’ll offer you a bargain.”
“Yes?” The queen tilted her head and watched him, her expression knowing.
He felt as though his mind were moving at the speed of light. There had to be a solution here, a way to save Jennet. He couldn’t let her die.
“You’ve taken Jennet’s energy,” he said. “Practically drained her. There can’t be much left.”
The queen held the flickering sphere up and studied it a moment. The flames glinted in her eyes. “There is enough for my purposes.”
“But you could have more. You could have mine.”
“Tam, no!” Across the circle from him, Jennet gave him a wide-eyed look. “I’m the one who lost. You can’t do this.” Her voice hitched on a sob.
The queen smiled, as piercing as a shard of crystal. “You offer yourself instead? Bold, Tamlin.”
“Yes. Take me, and let Jennet go.” His mouth was dry. Still looking at Jennet, he scraped the words out. “Jen. Take care of my mom and brother. Tell them I love them. And I’m sorry.”
Tears glistened on Jennet’s face. “No. No. Tam, you can’t—”
“I accept your bargain.” The queen opened her hand, and the flames of Jennet’s soul flew free, streaming back to her. “Now, brave knight, you are mine.”
Tams’ senses whirled as the Dark Queen leaned forward. She placed her hands on his cheeks, her touch like cool starlight. He could see nothing but her terrible, lovely face. Hear nothing but the high skirling of pipes. Taste nothing but ashes.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
“No!” Jennet ripped the sim helmet off and lunged over to the other chair.
Tam lay there, still and pale. She put a hand to his cheek. His skin felt clammy, and he was barely breathing. Panic roared through her like fire, red flames nearly choking her, blinding her.
“Help!” she cried, running to the door and throwing it open. “HANA - Call an ambulance. Quick!”
“A medical team has just arrived.” The cool mechanical tones sounded through the room. “They will be with you immediately.”
Already? Jennet blinked. Before she could sort it out, two women in white medical gear rushed into the room.
“Miss Carter?” The taller one took her arm. “Let’s get you on a stretcher and down to the ambulance. We can—”
“What?” Jennet yanked her arm free. “It’s not me, it’s Tam. Over here. Help him!” She hurried to the sim chair where Tam was sprawled, unmoving.
The med techs exchanged a confused look, and then the first one joined Jennet. She took one look at Tam and sucked in her breath.
“Willis,” she said, “we need the full team up here. Stat!”
The second woman pulled out her cell, but HANA spoke first. “I have already alerted the crew.”
“Good.” The tech gave Jennet a sharp look. “Move away, please. We need to get him on the floor and start CPR. Willis!”
Jennet edged back as the other med tech hurried up. A minute later there was a flurry of white-uniformed activity in the room. She couldn’t even see Tam any more, just hear some equipment beeping and the techs throwing around terms she didn’t understand. At least Tam was still breathing. He had to be.
“Miss? Are you all right?” George set a hand on her shoulder. She hadn’t seen him arrive, but she was glad he was there.
The rough sympathy in his voice was too much. Tears burst out of her, and she wrapped her arms around her stomach, trying to keep from falling completely apart.
She had failed. Failed and failed and now Tam…. Oh god, what was going to happen? What was she going to do?
George patted her back. “I’ve called your father. He’s on his way, and so is a heli from the hospital. We’ll get Mr. Linn the best possible care.” He gave her a curious look. “But you’re feeling well, yourself?”
Jennet took a deep, ragged breath. “Yes. I’m okay.”
She was surprised to find it was true. Tam had succeeded in that. Her soul was restored, while he….
The tears threatened to swamp her again. She had to hold it together and tell Dad what was going on. He would know what to do - he’d helped build the game, after all.
She wanted to go over and hold Tam’s hand, brush the hair out of his eyes, but the techs were busy putting him on a stretcher. They carried him out the door. Jennet followed, feeling useless.
The daylight outside came as a shock. The way she felt, she expected it to be night. Expected the whole world to be dark. It wasn’t right that the sun was shining while Tam could be…. She couldn’t even think the word.
Biting her lip, hard, she slipped forward until she could see him lying on the stretcher. There was an oxygen mask over his face, tubes hooked into his arms. His body was there. But his soul, his self, was not.
Was he sitting beside the Dark Queen in her court? Was Thomas offering advice and solace? Had Tam already forgotten about his life in the mortal world?
A sob choked her. Oh, Tam. It was all her fault.
A whooshing sound made her look up, to see that the med evac was starting to descend. Luckily the streets of the View were wide. Jennet edged over to the tall woman, who seemed to be in charge.
“Excuse me,” she said.
“Yes?” The tech looked at her with impatient sympathy.
“Can I go with him? In the evac?”
“Are you an immediate family member?”
“Um.” For a wild moment she wanted to claim she was. But they’d find out it was a lie soon enough. “No. I’m not.”
The tech shook her head. “Sorry.” She glanced around. “Are there any family members here?”
“No.”
“You’re a friend?” When Jennet nodded, the tech thrust a tablet at her. “Someone has to fill this out. If you don’t know all the answers, do the best you can.”
Of course - they needed to know who they were taking away. Pressing her lips together hard, Jennet filled out what she knew about Tam. There were a lot of blank spaces when she was finished. She didn’t even know how to contact his mom, or what her first name was, or their address. But she knew how to get there.
Would George take her into the Exe? She wished Dad were home. There were too many things falling on her, all at once. She could barely stand up under the weight.
“Here.” She handed the tablet back to the tech.
The woman hardly looked at it. “We’re taking him to Central Hospital.”
“Central? But that’s not nearby.”
“He
needs more than the local facilities can provide.” She lifted her head and called out, “Willis? We ready to go?”
The other tech waved an affirmative.
“But…” Jennet couldn’t help the shaking in her voice, couldn’t help the fear that grabbed her by the back of the neck and wouldn’t let go.
“He’ll be okay. We’ve got him on life support now.” The tech gave her a brusque pat on the arm, and then clambered into the evac.
Moments later the machine shot straight up. Jennet squinted until she couldn’t see it against the clouds any longer. Still she kept her face tilted to the sky, to keep the tears from spilling down her cheeks.
“Miss Jennet, please come into the house.” It was George, his voice soft as he took her arm. “Your father should be here soon. We can wait for him inside.”
She moved numbly as he guided her back into the house and settled her in the downstairs living room. Marie was waiting, with a blanket and cup of hot tea. Not that anything could make Jennet feel warm. Still, she took a sip. It gave her something to do with her hands, her body, while her mind bashed against what had just happened like some kind of frantic animal inside a cage.
“George,” she finally said. “We need to let Tam’s family know what’s happened. Would you take me—”
“No, miss.”
“But, you don’t know where—”
“You need to remain here until your father arrives.” George got to his feet. “And of course I know where to go. I have driven Mr. Linn home, if you recall.”
“Oh. Right.” She had forgotten.
“I’ll bring his family to Central Hospital. To be clear, Miss Carter, do you know how many people I will be fetching?”
“Just his mom and little brother. I’m pretty sure.” That little apartment over the garage couldn’t hold more than the three of them, could it? Tam had never mentioned anyone else.
“Very good.” The driver paused for a moment and set his hand on her shoulder. “Tell your father everything that has happened. Everything.”
She glanced up, startled. How much did George know? “I will.”
“Good. Lars can drive you and your father to the hospital when you are ready. I will put myself at the Linn family’s disposal. I am certain your father would instruct me to do so.”
“Yes.”
George was right about that. Something terrible had happened to Tam here, at their house. Dad would take full responsibility. That was one thing she could always trust about her dad. He was as dependable as granite.
No matter how mad he got when he found out what had happened, he would take care of Tam’s family. The fear holding her neck picked her up and gave her a little shake, then set her back down.
George gave Marie a long look. “Take care of her.”
“Of course.” The housekeeper sniffed, as if she didn’t need the chauffeur telling her how to do her job.
It was quiet after George left, a heavy silence that muffled everything. Jennet felt as if she was lost in the middle of a blizzard. Everything was white and cold, and she had no sense of direction.
Then the front door slammed open and Dad rushed inside. He didn’t bother taking off his coat, but went right to Jennet and took her hands. His eyes were worried.
“I got an emergency notification from HANA,” he said, “and a confusing call from George. Something about your friend, Tam, and an ambulance. But you’re all right?”
She nodded, and his expression eased.
“Good. Jennet - what happened?”
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
The question hung in the cold air. Jennet blinked, trying to find the words.
“Jen?” Her dad squeezed her hands.
“I…Tam…” She swallowed the lump in her throat, then tried again. “We were simming in Feyland and…Oh Dad, I’m so sorry.”
“In Feyland? You know that’s off limits!” He took a breath, visibly trying to calm himself. “All right, you were gaming, and then?”
“Tam made a bargain with the Dark Queen - she’s the last boss. And after the fight, he was just lying there unconscious in the sim chair. Dad, stuff that happens in-game affects real life. It sounds crazy, but it’s true. We have to go back in, together, and save Tam!”
“No.”
“But Dad, he could be dying!”
“Jennet, listen to me. Playing a computer game is not going to save your friend. And nobody is going to be using the Full-D system right now. It’s too dangerous.” He rubbed the bridge of his nose, looking suddenly weary. “I never told you exactly how Thomas died.”
A shiver ran through her. “You said he had a stroke - a blood clot to his brain.”
“That’s what the doctors thought. But I don’t mean the exact diagnosis. When they found his body, he was hooked in to the Full-D system. He died while he was simming. And now your friend Tam… there’s something terribly wrong with the hardware. The neural interface of the helmet, something.”
“It’s not the hardware, Dad. It’s the game. Feyland is connected to another world, and I have to—”
“Jennet.” He put his arm around her shoulders. “I know you’re upset. But there’s nothing we can do except trust the doctors to take care of Tam.”
“But I’ve simmed a lot on the Full-D, and I haven’t—”
“You were playing right before you got sick this summer, weren’t you?” He gave her a penetrating look.
“I… well, yes, but—”
“And it landed you in the hospital for a week. So, no. No more playing. Those systems need to be examined, dismantled, and rebuilt from the bottom up.”
Oh no. A sick shakiness trembled through her. How could she go back in-game and fight to free Tam if the systems were down?
“There’s one more thing.” Dad cleared his throat. “About Thomas. He had recently found out he had invasive cancer. He was dying.”
Shock pierced the cold surrounding her. “But - what about treatment? Chemo and radiation and all that?”
“By the time they discovered the cancer, it was too late. He chose to not even try. In a sense it was merciful, the way he died. It was fast, and likely painless.”
Thomas had cancer? Terminal cancer? Had he made a deliberate choice to leave his body behind, and enter the Realm of Faerie? He hadn’t been able to save her, but it seemed he had some influence over the Dark Queen. Maybe without him there, Jennet wouldn’t have ever come home from the hospital that summer.
But Tam’s choice was different. He had a family, a life, a body to come back to. She couldn’t let him give all that up - couldn’t live with the guilt of knowing it had been because of her.
“It’s all right, Jen.” Dad squeezed her shoulders. “I need to get to the hospital, meet Tam’s family, and see what the prognosis is. Whatever happens, I bear the responsibility.”
“It’s not your fault,” she said, her voice nearly breaking. It was hers. Hers. “Can I come, too?”
“Are you sure you’re up to it?”
“Yes. I have to know.”
Every beat of her heart was fear and guilt and worry, carrying his name. Tam. Tam. Tam.
Tam held a heavy silver goblet to his lips. The scent of wine and spices tingled in his nose, but he didn’t drink. For some reason, he wasn’t supposed to. A memory flashed deep in his mind, like a silver-sided fish. He chased after it, but it was gone, submerged again in shadows.
Around him, the clearing was filled with glowing lights and high, chiming voices. The faeries came and went, swirling about their queen. Music floated through the air. He set the goblet down on the leafy table beside him and looked for the musicians.
There, at the edge of the clearing. A tall, twiggy figure playing the flute. Next to it, a squat, dark troll beating a hand-drum with gnarled fingers, and in the center, a man with a guitar. Tam squinted. There was something familiar about the bard.
As if sensing his regard, the man’s fingers stilled. He nodded to his companions, and then strode over to Ta
m.
“Well met, brave knight,” the musician said. “And how do you find our fair land?” There was something sad in the question, a weight that Tam didn’t understand.
“How should I find it?” He had a feeling he hadn’t been here that long, but he couldn’t remember where he had come from.
The bard turned wise, weary eyes on him. “You should remember that beauty and treachery exist in equal measure here. It is wise of you to take no food, nor drink.” He nodded to Tam’s untouched goblet.
Tam’s brain felt strange and sludgy. He opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by the glittery edged laughter of the Dark Queen. One moment the air beside him was empty, the next she was there, luminous as the moon in a midnight sky.
“How now, Bard Thomas,” she said. “What strange tales do you tell our guest?”
The musician gave a short bow. “My lady, I do but discourse on the wonders of the realm.”
The queen smiled at him, but there was a sharpness to it. Tam shifted uncomfortably. He wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of that look.
“Enough talk,” the queen said. “Play on, bard. We have a taste for your music this eve.”
“As my lady commands.” Bard Thomas inclined his head. “Fare well, young knight. I shall play you a ballad ere our time here is done.” There was warning in his look, and a message that Tam couldn’t decipher.
The queen waved her delicate hand in dismissal, then turned to Tam. “Are you well, bold Tamlin?”
“Yes.” He couldn’t imagine saying anything but yes to the queen.
“Good.” She brought one hand to his face and set her fingers lightly against his cheek. A rush of heat and starlight went right through Tam. He barely heard her next words. “Tomorrow you perform a great feat for us, brave knight. Tomorrow we open the Gate.”
Her eyes were full of magic and mystery. Tam fell into her gaze, and didn’t bother looking back.
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT