by M. R. Polish
Reaching down, I stopped Jarak’s hand. “Luna isn’t here, and she doesn’t sound right.”
Maztic shook his coat and whimpered. I could no longer hear his words, but I knew he talked to Jarak. “What’s he saying?”
“This world isn’t meant for Guardians. When I passed, this wasn’t my first place to go, there’s a higher ground where I went. There are no threats, or darkness, no death, and definitely no Watchers, but I heard Lauren calling for help. That’s why I’m here. I’ve been searching for her.” He glanced down at Maztic. “Because our wolves are spirits they can get sucked into this world, if they go too far, we’ll lose them.”
“Luna!” I spun around, cupping my hands around my mouth as I hollered for her. “Luna, please, just come back.”
“I’m here. I don’t know what happened.” She materialized behind the tree and walked to me, rubbing up against my leg.
A wash of relief flooded me. Bending down, I curled my arms around her neck. “I was so worried. Jarak said that because you are a spirit, you can get lost in this world,” I said out loud.
“It makes sense. I can feel the world around us pull at me.” She whimpered against my neck.
“It’s okay. I won’t let you disappear.” And I meant it. I was going to find a way home, for both of us.
Looking over at Jarak, his face scrunched in a frown. “I guess we should find you a way out of here.”
Ugh. My insides twisted knowing that I wanted to help him, but couldn’t. Then again… Maybe fate had a plan, and I was in the Underworld to help? Pushing up off my knees with my hands, I brushed off my jeans the best I could. “Not before we find Lauren.”
“Thank you,” Jarak said. “You know, I haven’t felt more alive then since I died. It was a blessing. Julie’s curse broke, and for the first time in forever my heart was free, and I was able to just be me. It kills me to think Lauren is trapped. I know what it feels like to be where you don’t want, so I can’t leave here until I find her.”
I knew that feeling all too well. I was in the Underworld while my fiancé wasn’t. “I know. That’s why I’m helping you. Besides, it’s not like either of us knows how to get out of here.”
Jarak laughed. “Yeah, but just like I know Ian, I know you. And you will find a way.”
Eleven
Ian
P ushing the door open to the villa I shared with Es, my heart dropped. I should be carrying her over the threshold as my wife, not walking in by myself. Leaving the Underworld without her was the hardest thing I’d ever done. It was still hard to believe I was here without her.
Ailaina ran to meet me at the door. Dread visibly written in her expression. “I can’t see her! Ian, I can’t see her.” She wrapped her arms around my neck and cried. “I don’t even know if she’s alive anymore.”
My arms hung limp. How could I comfort her and reassure her that Es would be okay when I wasn’t sure myself?
Sniffing as she backed up, her water filled eyes gazed at me expectantly. She bated at the tears on her cheeks. “Did Davin come back with you?”
Sticking my thumbs through the belt loops on my jeans, I nodded. “Yeah, he’ll be here in just a minute. He had something he needed to attend to.”
A short smile swept her face as a click of footfalls sounded behind me on the walkway. “Davin!” She darted past me to run into Davin’s waiting arms.
A soft mumble of hushed whispers carried on the breeze. Words I wasn’t meant to hear, nor did I care to hear them. The fact that the Death Keeper made a deal that ended with Es being taken from me and his love got to stay by his side sickened me.
I didn’t care how many loop holes he placed in the deal, it wasn’t fair.
Adonia ambled into the foyer, her face ashen and all signs of happiness were gone. Her eyes searched mine looking for answers I didn’t have. Shaking her head, she sucked her lips in and bit down.
Torres drew near his wife, placing a hand on her back. “It’s okay, we’ll find her.” He looked at me, his face contorted in worry. “Do you have any news on our daughter?”
A mixture of anger and fear swam through my veins, fighting my mind and heart for control.
Davin and Ailaina brushed past me into the villa. He reached out, shaking hands with Torres. “She’s alive, but we don’t have long. We need to find Julie. It’s her only hope.” He glanced back at me before continuing. “We’ve talked with Raya, the Queen of the Watchers.”
Adonia gasped. “Davin, please tell me she doesn’t have Es.”
Davin cast a solemn look her way. “Not yet. She gave us two days to bring Julie to her or we might not ever see Esmerelda again. At least not alive.”
“Then what are we waiting for?” Ailaina asked. “Why don’t you just go to her and bring her to us? Or to Raya for that matter?”
I was with her. Standing here debating about whether or not to get Julie was wasting time.
Davin clenched his jaw. “I can’t. I think Raya, or Julie, or maybe even both, placed a shield over Julie’s location. She’s hidden from my magic and my sight. That’s the first thing I tried when we arrived back here. That’s why I wasn’t with Ian when he got here.”
A new hardness settled in my stomach. People playing games with the lives of those I loved was more than pissing me off.
“Why would Raya do that?” Ailaina folded her arms across her middle.
Frowning, Torres shifted his stance. “Because it’s Raya. It’s entertainment to her. And because she has her own game to play. You remember how she tortured you at Nicholas’s house? She is her own type of evil.”
I listened to the conversation but they all sounded so far away. My spirit still searched for the connection I had with Es, hoping to drown out their voices and hear hers.
Es, talk to me. Please.
Nothing.
“Dregan, can you hear Luna yet?” Lost in my own mind, Dregan would be the only one to hear me. If I couldn’t feel or hear Es, then there was no way I’d be able to try and communicate with Luna.
“Not yet. But I’m not giving up.” His baritone voice comforted me.
“Ian, what do you think?” Torres asked.
The mention of my name snapped me from my daze, making me realize I’d missed part of what was said. “What?”
Torres raised his brow. “What do you think about calling Victor? He was the one Jarak worked with to find Esmerelda, maybe he can help find Julie?”
“Victor?” Of all the people in our world, he was the last one I wanted to talk with. “What about getting a hold of the B.O.M.B.?”
Adonia’s shoulders fell. “We’ve already done that. They have an APB out on her, looking at all major travel points, and places she was seen last. A lady named Camilla was in charge, she said she wouldn’t stop until she’s found.”
Camilla. I knew that name. Thinking back, her face flashed in my mind. She was the flight attendant we had when we all flew back to Spain. She was also the one who took Jarak and Julie to the B.O.M.B. headquarters.
Rubbing my forehead, trying to massage out the massive headache, I groaned. “And you think Victor is our best bet?”
“Like I said,” Torres spoke. “He found Es with Jarak the first time. Why couldn’t he find Julie?”
“Then call him. If it gets us to Julie then I don’t care.” As long as I could personally hand Julie over to Raya then I didn’t care who helped.
“That was a lot harder than I thought.” Torres walked into the sitting room where I waited. A few strands of dirty blonde hair fell from his tight braid. “Victor won’t help. He’s still grieving too hard over his sister’s death. That was the only thing he ever wanted Es for, and when he found out she was in the Underworld he basically said she could stay there.”
Well, there wasn’t time to waste. So Victor wasn’t going to help, whatever, but I needed to be out looking for Julie. Es depended on me. It didn’t matter how strong she was. This deal was bigger than her, and she needed whatever help she could get.<
br />
Ailaina sat on Davin’s lap, picking at her fingernails. Davin glanced my way, sending a silent cue. “Well, I think it’s time to split up. Ailaina, Ian, and I will stay together, and you two can search. Remember, we’re on a very tight schedule.”
Ailaina jumped up and grabbed a jacket from the back of the nearest chair. “About time.”
I couldn’t agree with her more.
Now the question remained… Where’s Julie?
Twelve
Esmerelda
T he grove continued to grow and bloom in front of us, but even as I walked beside Jarak, the world around me felt so lonely.
A single squawk from a Grackle perched on an uplifted root from a tree echoed on the air. His iridescent black body had a purple sheen to it, but it was the bird’s yellow eyes that held me. His stare was focused solely on me—like he was sent there just to watch me. Could Watchers shape shift?
Up ahead, a dim shadow drifted across our path, reminding me that we weren’t alone. There were eyes watching everywhere. And Luke was one of them.
“Do you hear that?” Jarak asked, stopping to listen.
Straining to hear whatever it was that he heard, I concentrated on the area around us. A faint whisper reached my ears on the breeze. “Esmerelda.”
I jerked hearing my name. It had to be a game the Watchers were playing, and they were just trying to frighten me.
Jarak stared at me with wide eyes. “Whoever it is knows who you are.”
Shrugging, I took off like it was no big deal. “Whatever. It’s probably just Luke trying to creep us out.”
“Esmerelda,” the air said again, this time louder.
I gulped and took another step, disregarding the wispy tune of the gentle wind.
“Esmerelda, listen to us.” The sing-song melody of the combined ladies’ voices in the wind deepened with the demand.
“What is it?” I asked, looking around for the culprit.
“I don’t know.” Jarak reached down to pat Maztic’s side. The massive white wolf pranced beside Jarak.
Luna whimpered as she emerged from behind a tree and trotted over to me. “The voices are coming from down the hill in a little valley, not too far ahead.”
“Thanks,” I told her. Now to decide if we listened to them and went that way, or turned around and fled.
“What do you think?” I asked Jarak, knowing that Maztic had told him the direction of the voices as well.
A gust of wind picked up through the grove, sending a swirling cyclone of dried leaves and twigs. “Esmerelda, come to us.”
It was hard to not want to listen to them. Their voices blended like a mystical chant floating around through the trees.
“You’re going, aren’t you,” Jarak said, not in any way a question.
I nodded. “Did you really doubt that I wouldn’t?”
He chuckled. “No.”
Pushing back a branch of newly bloomed green leaves, I began the decent down the hillside.
It wasn’t long before the ground evened out and the trees became sparse, revealing a small cottage in the distance. A puff of smoke wafted from the rock chimney.
I wasn’t sure what we’d find, but my feet didn’t want to stop. Whoever was inside that house had answers, and I wasn’t stopping until I had them.
“Es, wait,” Jarak stretched his hand out in front of me. “Let me go first.”
I wanted to laugh, but held it in. “Once a Guardian, always a Guardian? Did you forget I’m one too, plus I’m a witch? I’m sure whatever is inside I can handle.”
Lowering his arm, he sighed. “I know. But, I’m already dead. They can’t kill me again. It’s just me wanting to protect you.”
“Jarak, you’ve done that. Now it’s my turn to look after myself.” Inwardly cringing from the tone I used with him, I pushed past his arm toward the cottage. Protecting me is what got him here in the first place.
A narrow path filled with rock led to the small home. Tall blades of grass surrounded the chalet and the fuzzy tops of foxtails tickled my fingertips as I walked. No trees stood close by to give a reprieve from the sun, so I held my hand up to shield my eyes from its brightness.
The wind picked up, lifting my hair to dance around my face. “Esmerelda, come inside.” A faint scent of apples carried on the breeze with the words.
Reaching up to knock on the door, it opened. I gave Jarak a quick glance over my shoulder before entering.
“Come in my dear, we’ve been waiting for you.” I could hear the woman, but not see her.
It took a few seconds for my eyes to adjust from the bright sunlight to inside. Blinking a couple more times, I was finally able to see the room.
The quaint open space only had a few pieces of furniture. Stairs to a loft curved up the side of the wall to my right. Colorful flowers and clay figurines brought out a vibrant happiness in a world of darkness.
But it wasn’t the fixtures in the home that held my attention. It was the three ladies who stood near the center of the room who captivated me.
Jarak entered the room, stopping abruptly. “Whoa.”
“My thoughts exactly,” I said, not taking my eyes off them.
They had to be identical triplets. Each had the same slender body, height, even posture. Their hair was licorice black, hanging in waves down their backs. But their eyes… their eyes could entrance someone with a single look into their violet depths.
A royal aura radiated out from them.
“Who are you?” I asked.
The one in the middle smiled. “I am Tiffany, and these are my sisters, Holly, and Breen. We are the Three Fates.”
Jarak took a step to stand next to me. “No offense, but I always pictured you guys as… old.”
All three of them laughed, the same melodious sound escaping their lips.
“No offense taken,” Breen said. “We aren’t exactly depicted as young and wise in all of the old stories.”
“Why did you call to me? Why am I here? Do you know how I can leave?” Questions flowed from my mouth before I could curb them.
“We called you here to give you answers.” Tiffany gestured to a table. “Please, sit, so we can talk.”
Jarak, being the gentleman that he is, pulled a chair out for me, but the Fates were sitting before he had a chance to do the same for them.
I tried to see if I could spot something to help me remember who was who, but they all were so identical that not even a facial tick gave them away. They were like porcelain dolls painted to perfection. “What kind of answers can you give me?”
“All of them.” I think it was Holly who spoke, but I couldn’t be sure.
I leaned on the table so I could look each of them in the eye. “I’m sorry, can we get you some name tags or something? I have no idea who you are. And, what do you mean all of them?”
The lady at the end of the table chuckled. “I am Tiffany. We are always the same, so just know that I am and forever have been in the middle. Breen is always to my left, and Holly to my right.”
Well, that would make it easier, as long as I could remember the order.
“Your past, present, and future is not what you have been led to believe,” Holly said. “We’d like to set the story straight because there are many people who still need your help because the prophecy has yet to be fulfilled.”
I shook my head. “No, it has. I killed Nicholas. The war is over, I’ve done the Reaping Spell, brought back Moriah and the other witches. It’s definitely been fulfilled.”
“My sweet one, you have been deceived. The prophecy wasn’t about Nicholas.” Tiffany tilted her head and her lips curved into a sad smile. “It was about your father.”
My dad? Bry or Torres? “Which one?”
Breen held her hand out, palm up. A small glass orb appeared, playing out a scene like a movie. “Torres. His past is darker than you know.”
My eyes transfixed to the crystal-like ball. Torres’s younger face flashed across the sphere. He couldn’t h
ave been more than fifteen or sixteen.
“We could tell you what happened, but it’s better if you see for yourself.” Breen pushed the orb my way. It floated above the table so we all could watch.
Torres wore a peasant type of clothing, ragged and worn. Ash and dirt covered his face and hands. His brow creased into a hard line, accentuating the black that crusted into each crevice.
A silhouette of a man stood half in front of him, obscuring my perfect view. “So you want to make a deal? Are you sure you understand what it is that you are asking? Should I do this, there will be consequences that must be paid. Fates will change.”
Torres nodded vigorously. “I’m more than ready. I don’t care what I have to do or who I have to hurt along the way. I want power. I’m tired of being someone everyone steps on.”
I gulped. Watching the past play out before me knotted my stomach.
The shadow turned enough for me to see Davin’s face. He scowled. “You are stupid for doing this.”
“Don’t tell me that I’m stupid, give me power!” Torres’s face flooded red, and he clenched his fists together by his side.
Gasping, I clung to the table for support. I hadn’t known Torres for long, but I never had a bad feeling about him. He never showed that kind of anger except toward Nicholas.
Davin held his hand out, shaking his head. “You’ll regret this one day.”
“Never,” Torres said as he took Davin’s hand, sealing the contract.
The picture in the ball faded.
I looked at the Fates. “What happened? I’m not sure I understand.”
Tiffany’s purple eyes glistened. “Your father, long before your mother came into the picture, was an angry young man. He wished for power greater than all. But, Davin knew of a power stronger than even Torres wished for. You. The prophecy came not too long after your father made the deal, claiming that one with mixed blood could save everyone.”
I nodded. “And I did. I killed Nicholas.”
Holly shook her head. “No. Nicholas had always been jealous of others, and never thought his power was enough. He created the Crossbreeds to show the supernatural world that he was the greatest, but kept failing in keeping them alive. But with Torres’s future claiming that he would one day be the most powerful, Nicholas decided to take the one thing stronger than both of them. You.”