The van wove through the boulders and came to a stop directly in front of the portal.
“You have arrived at your destination,” the mechanical voice said.
My seat belt released, and my door swung open. I stepped out and saw Bobson walking toward me.
“Ella.” Bobson sounded almost concerned. “Your head and shoulder.”
If I didn’t do something fast, I was going to end up a constellation imprisoned in Melanie’s sky forever. The thought was too much to bear.
“No!” Avery’s voice echoed in my ears. He rushed over to me and tried to touch my hair. The worry in his eyes was intense.
“Please tell me you found Melanie’s parents,” I said.
Bobson stepped closer to me and tilted his head toward the sky. “Something’s happened. We weren’t expecting it, at least not yet.”
I looked around. “Where are the others?”
Avery squeezed my good shoulder. “They’re gone.” His voice was low and shaky. “We tried to get them back to the portal before they faded completely, but it happened so fast.” He lifted his hand to my hair again. “Kind of like it’s happening to you.”
“But—no, I’ve been here longer than them.” I shook my head, refusing to believe the boys were really gone. “Why am I still here? How did they fade before I did?”
Avery shrugged. “Maybe girls fade more slowly?”
“No.” Bobson walked over to the portal and took the pen out of his mouth. “You were the last one to come back through the portal when we returned the first group and recruited the second.”
I bit my tongue when he said the word “recruited”—as if that was how it had really happened.
“There was a reason Melanie let you come along.”
“Yeah, she wanted to make me take part in the kidnapping because she’s completely twisted.”
“No, she wanted to protect you. Buy you some more time.” Bobson uncapped his pen.
I squinted at him not understanding what he could possibly mean. “What are you talking about? I didn’t go home like Avery did. I only crossed through the portal.”
“The portal leads to your world. The tunnel you were in when you returned the boys is part of your world. Just being inside it, you were recharging. And since you hadn’t begun to fade at all at that point, it protected you even more against the fading process.”
“But the one boy was almost completely faded. You told me I had to hurry before he was gone for good.”
Bobson nodded. “I had to get your attention off me so I could get a new army. If you didn’t think you were racing against time, you would’ve kept an annoyingly close eye on me.”
“Ugh! You lied to me! You made me panic and you made that poor boy panic—for nothing. You cruel, heartless—”
“Ella!” Avery wrapped his arms around me, hugging me from behind. “I’m so sorry you’re hurting like this, but please, listen to what he’s saying.”
I spun around in his arms. “Listen to him? He admitted to torturing me and that kid.”
“Okay, yes, but he also said Melanie was trying to protect you. She and Bobson were keeping you in the portal as long as possible to let you heal so you wouldn’t fade away in Stellaris.” He loosened his grip on me. “They were protecting you. Only they did it in a really weird way.”
Avery should’ve been the one they wanted to protect. “Why me?” I glared at Bobson. “Avery’s the strongest, and the army looked up to him. I’ve been against you since I got here. Why protect me?”
Bobson dripped some ink onto the portal and mumbled something in another language. And for the first time, I realized it must be Greek. Melanie and her parents were Greek gods. Lesser known Greek gods that probably no one but us even knew existed. The portal shimmered, causing my heart to beat faster. I was less than ten feet from home.
“As Avery said, you’ve been our most valuable fighter from the start. You took on all three rogue constellations, and you’re still alive. You were able to figure out their plans for the Pritchards when none of us could. And even though you were a complete pain in the ass the entire time...” Bobson paused, letting his opinion of me sink in. “We couldn’t afford to lose you. You were the best choice I made when I was recruiting the army.”
If he and Melanie couldn’t afford to lose me, then why was he opening the portal to my world? “What are you doing?” I pointed to the portal shimmering on the ground. “Aren’t you afraid we’ll leave? We haven’t found the Pritchards yet.”
“I want you to step through the portal, Ella.” He looked to the sky again. “You don’t deserve to end up like the others.”
I shook my head. “They didn’t deserve it either. Don’t you get that?”
Bobson nodded. “Avery and I checked on them right before you arrived in the van. They’re with the others in the sky now.”
That was why he kept glancing at the heavens. And that was why he and Avery were walking back to the portal when I got here. They went to find the boys in the sky.
“Sagittarius told Melanie what was happening, and she put them in the heavens before it was too late,” Avery said. “Her powers are getting stronger. She didn’t even have to come here to do it. She somehow made them float up into the air and then placed them in the sky.”
Bobson sighed, and I wondered if maybe he did understand his part in all this. And maybe he actually felt bad about it.
“Go on. Go home.” He extended his pen to me. “You know which door is yours, and you know how to open it. I’ll find the Pritchards on my own. It’s the least I can do.”
Avery stepped forward to take the pen since I couldn’t, but I raised my hand to stop him. “How much time do I have? You know how quickly it happened to the boys. So how much time do I have left before I end up—” I tilted my head toward the sky.
“I’d guess less than an hour. We’d never find the Pritchards and return them to Melanie by then. Just go.”
Melanie and Bobson had put my life on the line so many times since I got here. They lied to me over and over to get what they wanted. But they’d also tried to protect me. Me above all the others. I had a hard time understanding why. Maybe it was because they felt guilty, or maybe it was because they really didn’t want to hurt me. But I think it was actually their way of thanking me for all I’d done for them—even if I had done it under protest. And now, just like with Ophi and Serpens, I felt like I owed them for saving my life. Damn Avery and his influence on me.
“Where have you checked for the Pritchards?”
“We’ve looked everywhere.” Bobson’s shoulders slouched, and he looked completely defeated. It wasn’t like him at all.
Avery reached for Bobson’s pen again. “Ella, please. You go home. I’ll stay and help Bobson find Melanie’s parents.”
“No. You couldn’t leave me before, and I won’t leave you now.”
“Then at least step through the portal for a few minutes. Buy yourself some time.” His eyes pleaded with me.
I couldn’t bear to look at him—afraid I’d give in and go home. So I stared past him to the rock pile where I first met Serpens. I’d tried to avoid it ever since Draco trapped me in there with the giant snake. I could still picture those enormous yellow eyes staring back at me through the darkness.
“The rock pile,” I said more to myself than anyone else. I walked toward it, squinting and trying to see something that would tell me my hunch was right. With each step I picked up the pace.
“What? Ella, wait!” Avery hurried after me. “Where are you going? You have to get home.”
“The constellations can’t find the Pritchards because they’re not out in the open,” I thought aloud. “Draco, Serpens, and Scorpius didn’t tie them to the meteorites because we would’ve found them and freed them.” I ran.
“Ella!” Avery called.
Footsteps pounded behind me. Avery and Bobson were hurrying to catch up.
“There’s a reason the rogue constellations stayed by the porta
l. They were protecting something. They were guarding the Pritchards!” I ran to the opening in the rock pile. I remembered it was like a tunnel in there. I had assumed it was because Serpens used it as a place to sleep. It would need to be like a tunnel to fit his body inside. But the tunnel led somewhere, and I was willing to bet it led to the Pritchards.
Avery and Bobson caught up as I stepped inside.
“What is this?” Avery asked.
Bobson swatted at a spider dangling from a web over his head. “This is where Serpens slept at night. There’s nothing here. We’re wasting time.”
“No, we’re not,” I said. “This is the only place the Pritchards could be. You said you checked everywhere, but that didn’t include in here, did it?”
“Well, no, but I don’t see why we should check in a rock pile.”
“Because it’s not a rock pile.” I stepped farther into the tunnel. The rocks weren’t loose anymore. They were cemented together. “See, the rocks at the opening are only there to cover up the fact that this is a tunnel. I’m telling you the Pritchards are here.”
Bobson stopped arguing and followed me into the darkness. I couldn’t see anything. My eyes didn’t want to adjust after being in sunlight for so long.
“I don’t suppose you have a flashlight,” I asked Bobson.
“Stellaris is always bright. There’s really no need for flashlights here.”
“I can think of a need right now. It’s so dark in here I may as well have my eyes closed.”
I stepped closer to the side wall of the tunnel, letting my good shoulder brush against it to guide me. Avery and Bobson kept bumping into me in the darkness, mumbling apologies. I wished they’d keep quiet so I could hear if anything else was in the tunnel with us. I worried about running into normal everyday snakes, which creeped me out almost as much as Serpens. Supposedly, when you lost one sense the others got stronger to make up for it, but nothing like that was happening with me. I was walking blindly, and my other senses didn’t seem to care. We followed the tunnel to the end where we bumped into something on the ground. It moaned in protest. Muffled moans, like someone who was gagged.
“Mr. and Mrs. Pritchard?” I asked. “Is that you?”
“Mmm hmmm” was the response. Or at least something that sounded somewhat like that.
“It’s okay. We’re here to help you. Bobson and Avery are going to get you on your feet so we can walk out of the tunnel.”
More muffled sounds, which I assumed were agreements.
I stepped aside, letting Bobson and Avery through. Feet shuffled on the ground, which meant the Pritchards were able to walk. I’d been worried we’d find them near death. We followed the tunnel back to the entrance and stepped into the warm sunlight.
The second Mr. and Mrs. Pritchard stepped into the light, they broke free from their chains and gags with a simple shrug of their shoulders. And there was no doubt they were gods. Their skin practically glowed a golden color, and I could feel power radiating from them.
“Much better.” Mr. Prichard rose to his full height, which was even taller than Hercules. God height. “The darkness drains our power, but I think we’re okay now.”
“Darkness and that awful poison Serpens gave us.” Mrs. Pritchard pushed her wavy blonde hair out of her face. She was tall too. I wondered if they had basketball in Stellaris. “I never thought I’d see the day that our constellations would turn on us.”
“They’re all back where they should be now, Your Highness.” Bobson bowed slightly. “And Ophi and Serpens are once again our allies. Melanie has an agreement with them.”
“How is my little Melanie?” Mrs. Pritchard asked, her voice softening. “We’ve been so worried about her on her own.”
Bobson smiled. “She’s done a wonderful job protecting Stellaris. You’ll be very proud of her.”
I stepped out from behind Avery, allowing the Pritchards to see me in all my fadedness. “Yeah, she even made you some more constellations to watch over.” I couldn’t help myself. Maybe I owed Melanie for saving my life, but I considered that debt repaid the moment I’d found her parents. Now I needed to get a few things off my chest. Like how Melanie had created a whole new group of constellations.
Mrs. Pritchard gasped. “Oh, my dear. You’re not from here.”
“No, I’m not. Neither is Avery or the boys Bobson and Melanie kidnapped to fight the rogue constellations. You’ll get to meet them since they’re now part of your heavens.”
“You mean they faded while they were here?” Mrs. Pritchard looked horrified. “How could she let this happen after last time?”
“You say she kidnapped them?” Mr. Pritchard glared at Bobson, who lowered his head. “Explain!” His voice was louder than thunder, and it reminded me of how Melanie’s voice had shaken the boulders by the crypt.
Bobson jumped, and the look of terror on his face was priceless.
I smirked. “He might need to change his underwear before he tells you all about it.”
Bobson raised his hands in defense. “Please, Your Highness. We had no choice. The rogue constellations killed everyone. We were the only ones left.”
“Everyone is gone?” Mr. Pritchard’s expression went from angry to devastated in a nanosecond.
Bobson frantically waved his hands. “No, Ophi and Serpens brought them all back to life. The Stellarians are rebuilding the city right now.” Bobson curved one side of his mouth, probably thinking this news would cheer up the Pritchards. But it didn’t.
“You and Melanie allowed everyone to perish in battle! You were lucky that Ophi and Serpens were able to correct your mistakes. However,” Mr. Pritchard’s voice boomed, “that does not excuse you from punishment.”
I was enjoying the show a little too much. Bobson was squirming like a child. But the look of panic on Avery’s face wiped my smile away.
“Ella, your face.”
I raised my hands to my cheeks, and surprisingly, I could feel them. And since my hands were faded, that could only mean one thing. My face had faded too.
27
I immediately checked the rest of my body. My arms, shoulders, and now my entire head were nothing but ghostly shadows. My legs were blotchy, and I was too afraid to see what my feet looked like inside my shoes.
“Let’s go!” Avery reached out to me, but he couldn’t find anywhere to grab onto. He gave up and waved me toward him.
I leaned forward, but my lower body stayed where it was, like I was glued to the ground. I stared at my feet, willing them to move, twitch, something. “I—I can’t walk!” No matter how hard I tried to move my legs, they wouldn’t cooperate. I knew what was wrong. My feet had faded. And not the way Avery’s hand had become shadowy but still managed to work in a glove. I knew there was nothing left of my feet. Nothing at all.
“What’s happening to her?” Avery shot Bobson a worried look.
“You know what’s happening. It’s exactly like what happened to the boys. We need to move!”
“Yes, go!” Mrs. Pritchard said. “Get this poor girl back to her own world before it’s too late.”
“I’ll take her.” Before I could blink Mr. Pritchard was beside me. “It’ll be much faster.”
I flinched, suddenly realizing why Melanie was such a fast runner. But, I didn’t know this guy at all, and Melanie had to get her less-than-charming personality from somewhere. As much as I wanted to get out of Stellaris as fast as possible, I didn’t want Mr. Pritchard to be the one to take me—even if he did have the speed of a god on his side.
“No,” I said. “Avery can take me. He’s leaving too.”
“You don’t have time to argue, young lady,” Mr. Pritchard said.
“Mom! Dad!” Melanie was running toward us from the trees.
“Melanie!” Mr. and Mrs. Pritchard forgot all about me and focused on their daughter.
“Hercules told me you’d been found!” Melanie threw herself into her parents’ arms. She looked so small next to them, and I wondered when her
god height would kick in. It seemed like a strange thing to think about, considering I was dying—for the second time. But the fading was making my head feel loopy, and I couldn’t control my thoughts.
Mr. and Mrs. Pritchard started questioning Melanie about everything that had happened while they were trapped in the tunnel. I was no longer important. They wanted a full report on everything they’d missed. The more they talked, the more their voices sounded distant and muffled.
As I stared at them, my vision blurred. The golden glow of the Pritchards was like a swirling serpent, looping around in front of me. I started to feel lightheaded, like I was going to pass out. I tried to yell, to make everyone focus on me again, but no sound came out. My voice had faded along with the rest of me. This was the end. I was going to fade into nothing—cease to exist. I’d become a shadow like the people the Pritchards had experimented on. For the first time, I thought the boys had gotten the better deal when Melanie made them constellations. I wasn’t even going to get that. And this time when I died, Ophi wouldn’t be able to bring me back.
Avery had been sneaking glances at me since Melanie showed up, but even he had gotten swept up in the emotional family reunion. I shook any part of my body that would move, hoping to get someone’s attention. Thankfully, Avery noticed.
I mouthed the words, “I can’t speak.”
His eyes widened in fear. “Mr. and Mrs. Pritchard! Please, we don’t have time for this. We have to get Ella home before it’s too late!”
Melanie turned to face me for the first time. Her jaw dropped. “Oh no, Ella!”
The look of shock on her face was the last thing I saw before I collapsed.
I was vaguely aware of someone carrying me. I couldn’t feel most of my body anymore, but I had the sensation of riding a roller coaster with my eyes closed—disconnected but still semi-aware of what was happening. I forced my eyes open. Trees whizzed by me and then giant boulders. I bobbed up and down in Avery’s arms as he ran me to the portal.
Magic and Shadows: A Collection of YA Fantasy and Paranormal Romances Page 59