The Angel of Elydria (The Dawn Mirror Chronicles Book 1)

by A. R. Meyering

  “What?” Annette yelped. “How could you possibly know―you lied to me?”

  “Please, you’ve got to hear me out,” Penny tried, but Annette’s eye grew fierce, all her childlike sweetness gone.

  “Sit down,” she ordered in an odd tone that seemed to vibrate in Penny’s ears and shiver in her body. Penny felt their power as if she had screamed them.

  Something was very different about her voice; something was wrong. Penny’s heart thudded in her chest as her body began to move of its own accord, drifting into the chair that stood by the piano. Annette fluttered over and shut the door with a resolve in her countenance that scared Penny. She struggled to stand back up, but her legs would not allow her to move.

  Annette turned and spoke again in her bizarre, authoritative voice, “You will not move from where you sit. If you have any intention of harming me or my family, you will immediately be rid of it. You will not be able to lie from this moment on, do you understand?”

  Penny nodded, realizing with a sick whirl of fear that she was unable to disobey Annette Deveaux’s commands.

  Waves of fear tried to shake Penny, but her body felt as if it were bound by invisible cords at every joint. Panicked, Penny looked around, trying to rationalize what was happening to her. Drawing up a chair, Annette sat down across from her without breaking eye contact.

  “What’s…happening to me?” Penny gasped.

  “Quiet, please. I’ll be asking the questions for now,” Annette said. “Now, tell me what you’re doing here?”

  “I―I came here to warn you, just like I said. Valentine is trying to hurt you,” Penny repeated, her head spinning as she felt her lips move without her consent.

  Annette’s expression rippled with shock as she digested this. “So you were telling the truth…” she mumbled, half to herself. “How did you find out about Valentine’s plan? Don’t leave out any details.”

  “A-a―” Penny struggled against the sensation that tempted her to spill all her secrets and lost the battle. “An elf called Aldridge gave m-me some tickets to your show. I had never seen you before, my friend Simon persuaded me to g-go. When I was there I s-s-saw a man called Deimos Geller in the audience. He’s trying to kill me and my friends―I don’t know why. It was because of him I was forced to come to this world and I was curious to see why he was after us, so I tried to steal his memories―”

  “Wait―what? Stop, stop! Didn’t you hear me when I said no lying?” she stressed in a powerful, vibrating tone that resonated in Penny’s ears.

  “I heard you, I can’t lie,” Penny’s mouth said for her. She could not remember ever feeling so powerless. Tears burned in her eyes and she bit her tongue to stop them from coming. All the color in Annette’s face drained as she processed what Penny had said.

  “No, something must be wrong. That’s impossible…there’s no such thing as other worlds―and isn’t Deimos Geller the Baron of Dewthorne? This can’t be. You’ve got some way of rendering it useless…” Annette said to herself, a hand on her forehead as she stared at Penny.

  “What did you mean when you said you ‘tried to steal his memories’?” Annette questioned, bemused.

  Before Penny could answer, a loud thump rang out from downstairs and somewhere Gavin cried out. Both Penny and Annette jumped. Dread soaked through Penny as more shouts sounded in the hall and thunderous footsteps clamored on the stairs. Annette sprang to her feet, her face pale. The door slammed open and Hector burst into the room, followed by Simon.

  “Penelope!” Hector exclaimed, winded. His hands emitted silver and red runes as he prepared to perform a spell.

  Annette made a guttural gasping sound and caught her breath. “STOP!” she commanded, pointing at Hector. Penny’s heart sank again as Hector’s arms fell to his sides and his eyes grew terrified.

  Annette ran to the center of the room just as Gavin skidded in. “Nobody move!” she hollered, stamping her foot. Simon, Hector, and Gavin became motionless as Annette peered around at them all, her breathing ragged. She swallowed.

  “Now…we will all calmly go down to the drawing room…and someone…is going to explain to me what is going on here.” Annette looked to each of them in turn, and then gestured for everyone to follow her downstairs. As if tugged along by invisible strings, Penny’s body was lifted from the chair. Simon and Hector followed behind with Annette leading the group, her face set into a hard expression that was discredited by her trembling shoulders.

  In the drawing room Annette directed Penny, Hector, and Simon to sit down on a blue satin couch. She asked Gavin to leave, and he protested with an indignant squawk, “But, Nettie! I can’t leave you alone with them! I don’t even know who they―” he cut off when Annette pouted.

  “Gavin,” she begged, her voice subdued and meek.

  Gavin’s face fell. “Will you at least promise to tell me later?” he tried to whisper, but they all heard him.

  “Not everything, Gavin, but most things, I promise. Now go tell Millie and Auntie that everything’s okay, and not to worry.” She spun him around, pushed his towering form through the door, and shut it behind him after catching one last forlorn glance from Gavin.

  Simon began to squirm against his intangible bonds. “Please, don’t hurt us! Or at least don’t hurt me! It was their idea, they forced me to come along, I never wanted to―” he pleaded, but lost his voice when Annette stopped in mid-step and broke into a weak smile.

  “I’m not going to hurt you,” she reassured him, patting his shoulder. His face turned a warm pink and he let out a little breath as Annette withdrew her fingers and stalked toward the center of the room, deep in thought.

  “From―from what Penny has told me, it seems you’re all trying to help me, and I appreciate that―I really do. I just need to use certain safety measures to make sure no one is lying to me. I hope you all understand,” she explained at last, still pacing back and forth, her frilly skirts bobbing with each step.

  “Miss Deveaux, might I express my sincerest apologies for barging into your house like this?” Hector offered, and Annette stopped pacing to consider him. “Penelope was gone for so long, we thought she was in danger. But now that you have made your true intentions clear, I feel rather foolish. I acted out of fear, please forgive me.”

  Penny felt a strange twisting sensation in her chest at Hector’s words, but her face remained still, waiting for Annette’s reaction. To her relief Annette nodded in understanding.

  “You may, and you are forgiven. Now, you seem to know what’s going on, so please, tell me everything—every last detail. Also, no lying allowed.” Her last command shook with ethereal vibrations and Penny knew Hector would have no choice but to obey. She now understood why Deimos so coveted whatever it was Annette was using to control them. Hector cleared his throat.

  “Well, it is a rather long story, you might want to get comfortable,” Hector forewarned. Annette took his advice and seated herself on a satin blue loveseat, only a low, elegant coffee table separating them.

  “Well I suppose I’d better start with Nelvirna, then,” Hector sighed, displaying the usual disheartened look he got when thinking about his home. In his meticulous manner, he relayed to Annette everything that had happened and all the information that they’d learned from the time he arrived on Earth, up until the events of that morning.

  As the tale wound on, Annette seemed much less confused and panicked. Her expression changed from intense concentration to astonishment now and then, but she never interrupted to question the credibility of their tale. Penny decided that she must either be confident that they were unable to lie, or completely gullible. By the end of Hector’s explanation, Annette’s face seemed to have aged; earlier it had been so vibrant and full of joy, now she looked strained as she mused over their information.

  Penny, Hector, and Simon waited, no one daring to say anything more. Annette rose and drifted over to the window, distress clear on her face. Penny noticed the light outside had become weak; twilig
ht was upon them.

  Annette turned back and cut through the uncomfortable silence. “I knew this would happen eventually, I knew someone would―” her voice left off in a tremble. She looked shaken. “I’ve been trying to hide―to disappear into my own little world, but―I have this awful feeling it’s all about to come crashing down.” Penny admired Annette for being able to so share her innermost worries with total strangers, something she was unable to accomplish even with her closest friends. “I―I’m so very grateful that you all went to such lengths to help me, even though I’m a complete stranger.”

  “Miss Annette, I would go to any lengths to ensure your safety!” Simon rose and proclaimed with melodramatic nobility. Penny was a bit shocked to see he was free of the invisible bonds, and discovered that she too could move and speak of her own will again. Annette was taken aback by Simon’s outburst and looked as if she were about to laugh when something struck her.

  “Are you―quite certain about that?” Inspiration flickered in her china blue eyes. This threw Simon for a loop.

  “What do you mean, Miss Deveaux?” Hector asked.

  “Before I ask anything more of you, I feel I should make it clear that I do not intend to let you go. You know much too much about all this, about them and about...other matters,” she said, indicating that this was all she would share about her curious ability. “If anyone were to know―well, my career and reputation would be tarnished. I hope you understand, but I’m not going to allow you to leave.”

  “Wh-what? You can’t just―” Penny exclaimed, but the actress cut her off.

  “Oh, yes I can. Anyway, it’s safer for you here than out there. From the sound of it, Deimos isn’t playing around, and if he’s in town, you’d better be careful. It seems to me like our paths were destined to cross eventually. After all, some of the best friendships are formed out of sharing enemies. Of course, we’ll treat you all wonderfully! And it’ll be nice to have a little company.”

  “B-but, we need to get to―” Simon blubbered.

  “I know, I’m getting to that, don’t worry,” Annette assured him. “You need to get to Crescia, and I certainly don’t intend to be kidnapped or murdered by anyone. I think we might be able to work out a way to make everyone very happy.” She paused, gauging their reactions.

  “Go on,” Hector encouraged, still quite skeptical.

  “Well, you’d be able to recognize this Deimos, right? You’d be able to stop him if he tried to get at me? I saw the magic you did before…could you protect me?” Annette addressed Hector, feigning innocent helplessness as she looked into his eyes. Simon scowled as Hector cleared his throat a little and loosened his collar.

  “Erm, I suppose. I’d certainly be able to hold him off, if that’s what you mean―but as I explained, I’m not adept at combative spells as―”

  “I knew I could count on you, big brother!” Annette gushed, and Penny felt an unexpected, powerful burst of irritation toward them.

  Really, Hector? I’d expect that of Simon, but not―

  “W-wait a moment, I’m not quite sure what you want me to do,” Hector stuttered, looking uncomfortable. Simon was still glowering.

  Annette smiled, her hands on her hips. “I’m sure of one thing: they’re planning to try something at the King’s Annual Jubilee Ball. Valentine hasn’t so much as looked at me for about four years. Her comment today about the ball was just too obvious. She wanted to make sure I’d be there, or give me a reason to show up by taunting me. I’m certain of it. She’s just the kind of vicious little―” Annette stopped, looking a tad embarrassed at her outburst. “Anyway, I’d like to form an agreement with you all. The ball is two weeks away. If you stay here until then and escort me to it as my bodyguards, I promise to get you all tickets for the airship to Hulver. That way, I won’t have to hire any outside bodyguards, which eliminates the chance of information being leaked by them. Hulver is a cesspool of rumors, so even if you told this entire story to the King Yulghrat himself, no one would believe it. How does that sound?” she offered.

  We don’t have much of a choice, do we? Penny thought cynically.

  “I think we’d better take some time to consi―” Hector began, but Simon jumped up and clasped Annette’s hands in his own.

  “Miss Annette, I would be proud to lay my life down for you,” he almost shouted. Hector frowned and sighed, sharing a worried glance with Penny. Annette twittered, extricating her hands from Simon’s affectionate grip.

  “Wait a minute,” Penny interjected, “What will you do after we’re gone? Assuming Valentine doesn’t try anything at the ball, where will you be then?”

  “If that’s the case, well―I suppose I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. But I’m completely sure that’s the night, and when her plan is cracked wide open, the rangers will arrest them all and I’ll be safe for good!” Annette chirped, wobbling a little. Penny sighed, knowing that there was no way her plan would work out as well as she hoped.

  “Sorry, but are you feeling all right? You look a bit peaky,” Simon interrupted, looking over Annette’s graying complexion. Annette nodded, holding her forehead in her palm as she flopped back down on the satin loveseat.

  “I’m just tired―I think I’d better turn in early. This news has been rather upsetting to me.” Annette assured him. She got up with shaking legs and crept toward the door. “I’ll send Millie to pick up your things and your anteloo from the inn, just give her directions.” She stepped out of the room, then turned back to them for a final, chirping word. “Oh, and don’t try to do anything silly, like leaving the house! You know what that will force me to do. Let’s just all agree to be friends for now—it’ll make everything so much more pleasant.”

  Penny, Hector, and Simon could not muster courage enough to leave the sitting room. Once night had come, Gavin interrupted their quiet by opening the doors and peering in with an uncertain smile.

  “Good evening,” he greeted them. “Nettie has gone to bed, I’m sure you know. She was able to make the situation clear to me beforehand, so I thought I’d take this time to formally welcome you to our home.” He seemed jumpy, perhaps worried that one of them might spring up and attack without warning. Simon was staring at him, every so often glancing down at the skirt he wore in blatant confusion. Penny noticed his rude reaction and gave him a sharp elbow to the ribs with a warning glance.

  “Thank you very much, we really appreciate everything you’re doing for us,” Penny told Gavin, and he seemed to relax a mite.

  “My mother’s made some dinner, if you’d like to join us,” he offered.

  “Good lord, yes! I’m starved!” Simon sprung to his feet, losing all prior misgivings. Gavin led them to the furnished dining room where several steaming dishes were waiting. Gavin’s mother was a short, plump woman with half-moon spectacles and flossy white hair tucked in a bun. The woman beamed as her guests wandered into the room with wide eyes, welcoming Penny and her friends and introducing herself as Aunt Wendy to them. When they had all been seated, she encouraged them to keep filling their plates, stressing particularly over her son.

  “Look at you, darling―you’re like a walking skeleton! Here, have some more rolls.” She piled a few more on Gavin’s plate and he flushed a rosy hue.

  “Mother, please,” he said through gritted teeth, and Penny giggled to herself.

  The food was nothing short of exquisite, rife with an authentic, homemade quality. Wendy was full of questions and compliments for each one of them, and though her attitude was warm, her attention seemed vague and fleeting. For dessert Wendy brought them a homemade spice cake frosted and bejeweled with autumn-time berries. Hector was beside himself with joy.

  The night passed quickly, but the feeling of tension remained. Millie fetched their luggage and showed each of them to a separate guestroom near the Sun Garden. Penny’s room was spacious and furnished with a writing desk, dresser, an almost humorously large bed with a powder-blue satin coverlet, matching silk pillows, and her ver
y own bathroom.

  Penny flopped down on the elegant covers and sighed. She had forgotten how nice complete privacy was after spending so long rooming with two men in cramped quarters. She went about putting away her clothes and possessions, setting her little butterfly-shaped toy on the dresser beside her cherry-pine box. A quick check of the delicate glass orb showed that it was the same as always.

  Penny looked herself over in the gold-framed mirror, surprised to see her face looked older than she remembered, and her hair had grown quite a bit. Hearing low murmurs coming from the wall she shared with Hector, Penny abandoned her reflection and tiptoed down the long dark hallway, opening up the door to his room with a small creak.

  Simon was sitting at Hector’s desk while the bespectacled man sat on the bed, his back resting against the headboard and his arms folded across his chest. They both looked toward Penny as she entered, stopping in mid-conversation.

  “Let me guess, doing some male bonding?” she joked, shutting the door behind her.

  “Riotously witty as usual, Penelope,” Hector drawled as she joined them. He continued on as if Penny’s entrance hadn’t occurred, “But why does Valentine have such a powerful distaste for Miss Annette?”

  Simon shrugged and snickered. “Well, it’s obvious, isn’t it? She’s jealous of her youth and beauty.” He sighed, looking content. “Elydria is blessed with such lovely ladies, I’ve never seen so many grouped together in one place!” His face changed, showing he had just remembered something. “Oh no―if I’m trapped here, I won’t be able to say a proper goodbye to my Matilda…”

  Seeing he wasn’t very bothered by that revelation, Penny shook her head in disdain. “Shouldn’t we be more concerned with what Annette was doing to us? I’m sure you felt it,” she reminded them. “She must have something really powerful to be able to control people like that. It’s got to be what Deimos is after. Imagine what a thing like that in the wrong hands could accomplish.”