by Ainsley Shay
“You’ll what? There’s no one left for you to take away from me.”
Calm and collected, she said, “Please, do not interrupt me.” The urge to throw my phone off the balcony almost overcame me. “Also,” she said in a tone that was so sharp it could have cut steel, “I would have to disagree with you. You still have many loved ones who would gladly give their life for you. Would you like me to name them?”
I didn’t need a list. Their faces popped into my head and I knew she had me. She knew she had me. “Fine. I’ll do it.”
“Do what?” Chandler asked. Ignoring him, I watched his exasperated expression fill with ferocity and frustration. He slid his hands through his hair and pulled it.
“What do I do with the dagger? And what’s in twenty six days?”
Her voice turned as smooth as silk, laced with humor. “Nothing actually happens on March 19, it’s only the day you’ll be ready.”
“Ready for what?”
“Oh, come now, you don’t really expect me to tell you and ruin the surprise?” I didn’t. “It was nice chatting with you, but I really must go now.”
“Adelina?”
“Hmm?”
My voice was low and insecure when I asked, “What do you want from me?”
“I want what every woman wants...revenge.”
The line went dead.
I lowered the phone from my ear. Her words and threats echoed in the silence.
“Why didn’t you give me the phone?”
I turned so fast, Chandler shifted back a few inches. “If she’d wanted to talk to you—” my voice was deep and measured, “—then she would have called your phone.”
Scowling, he asked, “What did she want?”
“She wants the medallion back.”
“Not going to happen.”
I was thunder-struck. “What?”
Chandler started for the kitchen. I went to grab his arm, but he easily pulled it free. He turned and put his hands on his hips. “Since forever, she has run this entire show. Even to the point of having her little sister do her dirty deeds.” I began to say something, but he stopped me. “Before you say anything, hear me out.” I crossed my arms over my chest and cocked my hip. I was going to stand my ground on this. I couldn’t face the fact of losing anyone else. His tone was controlled and his eyes were set on mine. “We have something she wants. And, I can guarantee, if she’s calling you herself, she wants it in the worst way.” He held up his hands. “I know you want to disagree, but you have to admit I’m right. We need to take some, if not all, control back.”
He was set on this. I had to get him to see my side; get him to understand the enormous fact she did hold all the cards, she was in control. If giving her the medallion back was what it took to get her to leave the ones I loved alone, that’s exactly what I would do. “Chandler, I get what you’re saying, I do. But, she’s threatened to take more of the people I love away from me. And, it might sound stupid or selfish to you, but I won’t let that happen.”
He dropped his arms and walked toward me. “Iris, I love that you’re so strong. I love the fact that you’ll do anything for the people in your life, I even love the idea that you think you can appease her by giving her what she wants. But, she will always have the upper hand unless we hold something back.”
“Why is everything so complicated?”
He barked out a laugh. “Are you kidding? The fact that Adelina’s involved makes it complicated. If that’s not enough, you have Lord Darenfys. He screwed up by falling in love with you. Scratch that,” he shook his head, “Sorry, I meant Catherine. And, if it hasn’t been obvious before now, Adelina was, and still may be in love with him. Bad. Bad. Bad. All bad. And, until someone ends her wrath, she’ll do whatever it takes to get what she wants.”
It was only seven in the morning and already I was exhausted. Going to school wasn’t sounding so great anymore. “Maybe I’ll skip school today.”
He put his hands on my shoulders. “You should go. It’ll take your mind off this crap, for a few hours.”
“You just said—”
“I know what I said. But, that was before Adelina called and threatened you. And, as soon as school’s out, I want you to go to the bookshop. I bet old man Yves would love some company. Yesterday was not one of his best days.”
The fact that Chandler thought enough about Mr. Yves like that made my eyes burn. I nodded. “Okay.” I started for the bathroom.
“Hey?”
“Yeah?” I answered without turning around.
Chandler’s voice was more matter of fact than a threat when he said, “The medallion won’t be where we last left it when you go to get it.”
With my back still to him, I said, “I know.”
22
The vibration on my nightstand woke me at five in the morning. The call jarred me from a horrible nightmare, only to toss me into another. “Hello,” I mumbled.
“Iris, can you please come?” The words were cracked and faded.
The voice sounded vaguely familiar, but I was too dazed to be sure. “Mr. Yves?”
“Yes,” he croaked
Groggily I asked, “Where do I need to go?”
“I’m in the emergency room.”
With that reply, I was completely awake. “What are you doing in the emergency room?”
There was a long hesitation before he answered. “I was attacked. I’m not sure, but the doctors say it’s not good.”
I threw off the covers and was up in seconds. Tucking the phone between my shoulder and ear, I pulled on a hoodie. “Who attacked you?” My hands were shaking so badly I could barely pull up the zipper.
“I don’t know.”
“I’m leaving now,” I said and hung up.
Chandler was sitting up on the couch. “What’s going on?”
“Come on!” I threw his shoes to him. “You have to take me to the hospital.”
“Why?”
“Just hurry!” I grabbed my bag and raced toward his car at the curb.
Once we were in the car, Chandler asked, “Will you please tell me what’s going on?”
“Someone attacked Mr. Yves and he’s in the emergency room.” I wiped my face with my sleeve. “Who would want to hurt—”
I didn’t finish my question before Chandler said, “Adelina.” He shifted gears and the car lurched forward. “It has to be her...since we haven’t given her back her the medallion.”
I wanted to reach across the center console and grab Chandler by the throat. We? I was the one who wanted to give the knife back. I stayed as calm as possible when I agreed, “Probably.” I had to keep it together and control the frustration brewing inside of me. He skidded to a stop in the middle of the highway. “What are you doing?” I questioned.
“How do you know it was Yves who called you?”
“I don’t know. I just do.”
“What if it’s a trick? Adelina or Carina trying to get you to come out of hiding.”
Just the idea of that was sick and demented. But he was right, there was a very real possibility one or both of them had planned something like that. It’d been almost a week since Adelina called. The more his words stewed in my head, the angrier I got. “You know, this is all your fault. You’re willing to gamble with the lives of the few people I have left in my life, and for what?”
“That’s not—”
“I don’t want to hear your stupid excuses. What is the point of keeping the medallion, anyway? It’s all just a game, and I’m beginning to believe you’re enjoying it as much as Adelina.” It was a hard blow. Not wanting to see the hurt I caused, I looked away from him. Regret simmered the frustration inside me, until I remembered where we were going and why. “If Mr. Yves dies, I will never forgive you.” A long minute of silence passed before he put the car in gear and pressed the accelerator. I used to pray the nightmares would stop; now I prayed for the nightmare I was living to end.
“I’m sorry.” He hit the steering wheel with his
hand. After he took a deep breath to calm himself, he said, “Adelina is only part of the problem. The facts remain, she’s only out for herself and she’s using you. But, as long as you have something she wants, I believe you’re safe. And, I hate to admit this, because you’re not going to like the sound of it when it comes out, but you’re the only one I need to protect.”
“Are you saying their lives: Mr. Yves, Snow—they don’t matter?”
His lips pursed as his patience thinned. “That’s not what I’m saying at all. You have very dangerous people who want to take your life. Darenfys is not one to piss off. As for Adelina, she needs you for something, I’m not sure what, but if she didn’t, I would bet you’d be in her back yard right now.”
“Chandler, I get that you’re looking out for me. What I don’t get is how you’re all right with all of this—”
“You think I’m all right with all of this? Are you joking?” I thought he was going to stop the car again, but he didn’t. “I’ve been dealing with this for hundreds of years. You have been dealing with this for two and a half months.” His voice softened. “Do you know how many times I’ve wished for my own death?”
All the fight fueling me was extinguished with those few words. I’d had no idea he had suffered enough to wish for death. “I’m sorry.” I felt the lashings of guilt for being selfish and mean, and I hated myself for it. “I want to do whatever I can to end this war with Darenfys and Adelina. So, I’m doing the best I can, as this little, insignificant human who is fighting in a world of self-made monsters and witches.”
“I know you’re doing what you think is right.” He glanced over at me. “But, there are going to be times when you will have to trust me.”
“I do trust you. I just don’t always agree with you.”
We pulled into the hospital parking lot and Chandler turned off the car and looked in my direction. Disbelief was all over his face. “You never agree with me.” I shrugged. There really wasn’t a point to argue with, this time, I had agreed. “And, I want you to know I think you’re more than strong enough to fight Darenfys and Adelina.”
“Thanks.”
“Come on, let’s go check on Yves.”
We checked in at the front desk and inquired as to where Mr. Yves was. Since the emergency room was nearly empty, they let us through to visit him. The smell of cleaning chemicals and bandages hit us at once. Only one other person was being treated. As we passed her, the small frail woman gave us a slight wave and a tiny smile. It made me sad to think she was here alone. We stopped a nurse in the hallway to ask where Yves Holton was. She pointed to a closed curtain a little farther down the hall. Slow steps, fast steps...I was anxious to see him, and I was nervous as hell. I took a deep breath before I pulled back the curtain. When I saw him, I broke. I covered my mouth with my hand. His face was battered on the left side and his eye was swollen shut.
“Iris, is that you?” His voice was low and scratchy.
“It’s me.” He lifted his arm and held out his hand. The simple movement looked like it caused him a lot of pain. I took his hand. “Chandler’s here, too.”
“How are you, son?”
My heart swelled at hearing him call Chandler, son.
“Better than you, I think.”
“For your sake, I certainly hope so.” Mr. Yves said, with humor behind his words.
“What happened?” I asked.
Mr. Yves tried to answer, but instead, went into a bout of coughing. I wondered if the doctor had put him on something for pain. I’d heard that some meds could make you delirious. I poured him a cup of water from the pitcher on the table next to the bed. He lifted his head and took a few small sips. He opened his good eye and found mine. “I don’t know for sure. I was coming back from my walk, and when I was unlocking the door to my home, I heard something, or someone, behind me. The noise was swift, like the wind sweeping by. But, there was no wind. When I turned around, I expected to see...something, but nothing was there. Then, from out of nowhere, I was hit in the head with a pipe or bat; I don’t know.” He coughed again. When he caught his breath he continued, “After I fell to my knees, an invisible kick landed in my ribs.”
“Invisible?” Chandler questioned.
“I swear there was no one there. It was as if I was getting beaten by the wind, or a shadow.” He squeezed my hand tighter. “Please don’t let them take me to the crazy house.”
“You didn’t tell them the story you just told us, did you?”
“No. I told them the classic answer: I fell down a flight of stairs.”
My relief was an audible sigh. “How did you get here?”
“When I was able to get to my feet, I went inside and called for an ambulance.”
“Can you go back to the invisible part?” Chandler asked.
Before Mr. Yves was able to say anything, a nurse came in and said they were moving him to a room so they could monitor his condition. Chandler and I said we’d wait until they got him situated. We followed the signs to the cafeteria and prayed they’d be open this early.
A woman wearing a hair net was just pushing open the doors when we walked up. “Y’all are just in time for the freshest coffee of the day,” she said in a southern accent.
“Sounds good to me,” Chandler said. He pushed open the other door and lowered the doorstop.
“Aren’t you just a gentleman?” she said.
After we poured our coffees, doctored them with cream and sugar, we sat at one of the booths.
“Invisible?” he said.
“I don’t know what that means. The only person who comes to mind is—”
“Carina,” Chandler blurted out.
“I was going to say Adelina, but Carina does make more sense. She can do weird mind crap like that.” I took a sip of the coffee and it scorched my tongue. “Dammit!” It was only a few minutes after six in the morning and already the day sucked. I put my head in my hands wishing for the time to pass...when all of this would be over, and everyone I loved was safe. Don’t wish your life away, the words echoed in my head.
“Hey, he’s going to be fine.”
Lowering my hands, I said, “I hope so.” And again, I wished my life away.
23
The hospital kept Mr. Yves overnight. Chandler and I stayed with him. For the most part he was stable. The doctor was concerned with his broken rib and his eye, which was still swollen, though some of the swelling had decreased. Darkness around his cheek and temple looked awful even through my colorless eyes and I had guessed his face looked worse in color. We wanted to ask him more about what had happened, but the doctor had given him something to knock him out so his body could rest. He slept most of the day and into the night.
I was exhausted, but unable to sleep. Chandler paced, sat, flipped through muted channels, and drank Mr. Yves juice, flirted with the nurse so she’d bring him snacks and more juice. He was just as irritating here as he was to live with. On several attempts, I tried to close my eyes and rest. And, that would be the moment Chandler either felt the need to talk or use the bathroom. Finally, when he relented to sleep, I turned off the glaring TV. I closed my hand over Mr. Yves’. When he squeezed my curled fingers, I knew he would be okay.
I set the pillow against the wall and sat up. There were only five more entries to read in the journal. I was nervous they wouldn’t tell me anything I needed to know or understand. I was also nervous they would. It was three in the morning when the nurse came in to check Mr. Yves vitals. She was polite and quiet as she worked. The hospital was generous enough to let me borrow a cot to sleep on. I think I would have been more grateful if they had offered me a bag of rocks. My palms were starting to sweat as I turned to the last few pages of the journal.
1 March 1568 ~
I wanted to be more than a servant. I wanted to be at Lord Darenfys’ side. I knew I would never be his equal, but I wanted to be like him, immortal. Ready to ask him, I went to his private chambers. As I stood outside, I almost lost my nerve to kno
ck on the door.
“Enter.”
I pushed open the heavy door. He was sitting in a chair by the fire. He looked up and his gaze found mine. “Ah, Miss Adelina deBlays, what an unexpected surprise.” I bowed and he gestured me forward. “What brings you to me today?”
I had practiced what I would say in that moment, until I thought I was ready. Now that the moment was upon me, I felt as if my tongue had been cut out of my mouth. I took a deep breath and found my courage. “I want to be like you.”
“Like me? A Lord?”
I shook my head. “No. I want to be immortal.”
He stood, and his tall frame loomed over me. I refused to cower. The months I’ve spent here, I’ve learned many lessons. The one I witnessed time and time again, was never to cower in front of the Lord. He expected, even demanded obedience and respect, but without cowardliness. “Child, your eyes are practically glowing.”
I refused to look away from him. “It seems the more I use my gift, the brighter they become.”
“Fascinating.” He picked up a goblet and took a long drink. A thin line of red coated his upper lip and he licked it off. “So, you want immortality.” He turned his back on me.
“Yes, my Lord.”
“As you know from your time here, I have built an army of immortal soldiers—their loyalty to serve this fortress and me, in exchange for ever-lasting life. A bonus for me is they all come back from battle...no need for me to replace soldiers.” He glanced over his shoulder at me. “So, why should I give you such a special gift?” He folded his arms. Patience, curiosity, and possibly intrigue danced in eyes.
“I have learned simple spells and...”
“And what?”
He was getting impatient with me, and my stomach began to knot. “It will be easier if I show you my Lord.”
“Show me?”
“Yes.”
“Then lead the way.”
I thought there was a possibility he would want to see what I was capable of, but I hadn’t thought he would take the time, at that moment. We walked through the corridors toward my chambers. Penemuel followed directly behind us. When we reached my door, the knots in my stomach tightened. I reminded myself that this was what I wanted. Taking a deep breath, that hopefully wasn’t my last, after he saw what I had created, I opened the door.