Alex and Azalea_Prequel to the Underground Series

by Melody Robinette

  Something felt off. He couldn’t explain it, but there was an imbalance in the air. It wasn’t until he reached the edge of the cliff that he understood why.

  A stampede of unicorns trampled through City Circle, swinging their heads about, ramming their horns through anyone crossing their path. The elves of the town were screaming and running. Warriors were stringing their bows, shooting them down. Powers of all colors and shapes were being sent to hold off the beasts.

  Without thinking, Alex bolted down the path into town, snatching an abandoned bow and sheath of arrows off the ground. He jumped into the onslaught. He’d always thought of unicorns as peaceful creatures. They were dangerous, yes, but if they were left alone, they didn’t typically harm anyone. This was unusual activity for them. Someone must have convinced them to do this.

  “Alex!”

  He turned to see John and Atticus pumping the remainder of their arrows into the horned beasts from atop the fountain in the center of City Circle.

  “I thought you left!” Atticus said.

  “I did,” Alex answered, stringing an arrow through his bow and letting it fly. “I am.”

  “You are?” John said.

  The unicorns’ numbers were few now. The ones that had caught on to what would happen to them if they entered the battle with the Warriors had turned and run back into the thick foliage. John grabbed two of the arrows out of Alex’s sheath and shot the last of them.

  The panicked town went silent. Rivers of blood poured over the cobblestones. Bodies littered the ground. At least twenty elves had been killed. It was like the aftermath of a stampede. As if the unicorns had moved suddenly like a tornado through the town, destroying whatever what was in its path before disappearing into the air.

  “What the hell happened?” Alex asked John.

  “Atrums,” John growled. “Their attacks have been increasing. Dylan Dyer’s son was killed by one of the Atrum children.”

  Alex cursed under his breath.

  “Did you say you’re leaving?” Atticus interrupted. “For good?”

  Sucking in a quick breath, Alex dipped his head in a nod. “I came to say goodbye.”

  John’s jaw clenched, and he looked out over the town. Alex knew he disapproved. That he thought he was being selfish. Maybe he was. But he wouldn’t be the best leader if nothing mattered to him but a human girl in the Outside. It was better that he leave.

  Atticus clapped Alex on the shoulder, offering him a supportive look. “I trust you, Al,” he said. “You know what you’re doing.”

  “I do.”

  “I’m going to help with the bodies,” Atticus said in a resigned voice.

  Alex nodded and looked to John. His face was turned towards the massacre. “You sure you know what you’re doing?” he said.

  “More than I ever have,” Alex said.

  John nodded, then unexpectedly pulled Alex into a quick hug. “Well, good luck then. Keep in touch. Somehow.”

  A small smile tugged at Alex’s features as he and John parted ways. Alex made his way to the castle much more slowly than he’d come into town. How was a son supposed to say goodbye to his father forever?

  The throne room was full of sobbing elves. They’d come for advice and safety. The attack of the unicorns had left them shaken and afraid. Olympus walked among them, consoling and advising, promising a retaliation. His eyes landed on Alex, and he froze in place.

  Swallowing, Alex walked forward until he stood in front of his father. “I came to say goodbye,” he said in a low voice. “Azalea has left Ireland, and I’m going after her. I don’t know how long I’ll be away from the Underground. I’m not sure when I’ll be able to return.”

  Olympus blinked but didn’t say anything.

  Alex continued to speak. “I’m sorry… I’m sorry I’m not the son you were hoping for,” Alex said through the thickness in his throat.

  As he turned to leave, he heard his father’s reply. “You’re more than I’d ever hoped for, Al.”

  Revolving around, Alex’s gaze returned to Olympus’s, their matching hazel eyes locking. “What?” he said in disbelief.

  “You’re strong, determined, and passionate. You’re your own man. You follow in no one’s footsteps. That’s more than I could have hoped for. If you must go…I won’t understand. But I will respect it. Just know you’re always welcome to return home.”

  Brows turning up in the middle, Alex moved several steps forward and hugged his father for the last time. At least for a long time.

  Olympus squeezed him hard before holding his son at arms’ length. “Now go show the Outside what an Oaken is made of.”

  Alex’s smile was watery, and he turned away before his father could see the tears in his eyes. He felt like a ghost moving through the town. No one paid him any attention. They were too focused on what had just happened with the unicorns. Alex didn’t blame them. Part of him felt guilty for leaving during a time like this. But he’d never been good with tragedy. Elves would come to him for advice or comfort, and he’d just end up saying the worst thing he could say, patting them awkwardly on the back. It wasn’t that he was unfeeling. He felt more deeply than most young elves, he thought. It was just expressing it. Maybe that had been the problem with Azalea.

  Moving up the path to the waterfall boundary one last time, the steps grew more difficult, like he was trudging through knee-high sand. He made it to the top, but he wasn’t alone.

  A stray unicorn stood a few feet back from the edge of the cliff, and upon it rode a small girl. Judging from the gray pallor of her skin and the sunken hollows beneath her eyes, Alex assumed she was an Atrum. The girl turned to look at him. Her irises were a shocking violet, and her stare was impassive. Uncaring.

  If he were John or another Warrior, he might have killed her on the spot. At the very least he would have raised the alarm. But he didn’t.

  “They’re looking for you, you know,” he told her.

  “I know,” she answered with the glimmer of a smile.

  “Better go on back home now,” he said.

  The surprise was barely evident in the girl's features, but it was there. Clearly, she’d expected him to fight as well. Her small hand twitched as if she was considering shooting her power at him, whatever that was. But she didn’t. She simply pressed her hand against the side of the unicorn, and it blinked out of existence.

  He hadn’t known they could do that. He stared at the spot the girl had just disappeared from, wondering for a brief moment if perhaps she had been the one responsible for all the recent deaths of the children.

  See? He was a terrible king.

  So, he turned, and he left the Underground. He had a bigger mission to attend to.

  25

  Big Skies

  The flight home was nothing short of torture. Azalea’s mind bounced back and forth between thoughts of her dad, hoping he was still alive when she landed, and Alex. Just…Alex.

  Her heart ached. And she hated that. She wanted to hate him. But she couldn’t manage it. The more she thought about it, the more ridiculous she felt. His lie hadn’t been about a girl he was with or some dark, dangerous secret. It had been about what he was. An elf. Because apparently those existed. That fact alone had muddled her mind.

  She realized everything else Alex said was just his version of the truth. When he’d said he didn’t want to take over his father’s family business, he’d meant he didn’t want to be king. Because why would he tell her what he was? He’d risk her thinking he was crazy. She didn’t. She just thought she might be.

  When her last plane landed, her friend, Jaycee, picked her up from the airport. Jaycee was Azalea’s opposite. Wild black hair and an even bigger personality. But right now she was reserved. Which made Azalea feel worse.

  “He’s going to be okay, sweetie,” Jaycee said, pulling her into a tight hug. “He’ll be fine.”

  Jaycee drove her to the hospital where they’d flown her dad. The accident was too critical for their small town
doctor to treat. When they got there, they had to wait to see him. He’d already had a major surgery and flat-lined twice, the doctor told her, pretending he didn’t notice her steady stream of tears.

  “He’s stable. For now.”

  For now.

  When they finally let her in to see him, he was still sedated. He looked bad. Cuts on his face, tubes in his arms and nose. But he was alive, and she could finally breathe again. He didn’t wake up while she was in the room with him and she held his hand until the nurse told her she should go get some rest. Azalea figured it was just a nice way of telling her that she needed to leave so she could do her job without his daughter in the way.

  She wished he would wake up. But, then again, she wasn’t ready for him to ask her about her trip. She wasn’t ready to say that she’d left half of her heart behind in another country. This thought made her bite back another round of tears building up behind her eyes. She didn’t want to cry anymore.

  Walking out of the ICU, she moseyed over to a chair that she thought might be comfortable enough to sleep in for a few hours. Jaycee had already left on Azalea’s orders. It was late, and she had work early the next morning. Jaycee had urged her to come stay the night, but Azalea didn’t want to stray too far from the hospital. Just in case.

  She sat down, a fog of sleepiness crashing over her. She gave into it, not caring if the other people in the waiting room judged her for drooling or snoring.

  In her dreams, Alex was there. He was running a hand through her hair, kissing her on the forehead, murmuring words of apology and support. It was a really, really good dream.

  But when she woke up, he was still there, sitting in the chair beside her. With a start, she sat bolt upright, laying wide eyes on him. Then she looked around to see if she was still dreaming, pinching her forearm. It hurt.

  “Are you real?” she whispered.

  A relieved smile sparkled in his eyes. “I think so,” he answered in a murmur. “Do I feel real?”

  “You’re in Texas? How are you in Texas? How did you—”

  “I have some connections,” he said with a wink. He couldn’t stop smiling at her.

  She stood up suddenly. “I need some air.”

  He stood with her. They left the waiting room, into the warm early morning. The sky was still dark, strewn with stars, but the sun was on its way. Azalea took in a deep breath.

  Alex looked up. “You have big skies here.”

  She couldn’t help it. She laughed. “I still can’t decide if I’m dreaming or not.”

  He turned to her, placing a hand on each of her arms. “You’re awake. I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere, Azalea. Ever again.”

  She bit her lip, and he bent to kiss her. This was the fresh air she’d been searching for. This was the breath she needed. This kiss.

  “I’m still mad at you,” she whispered against his lips.

  He pulled back just enough to press his forehead against hers. Reaching back, he pulled a card and a passport out of his pocket. He held the card beneath them so they were both looking down at it. The card was an ID. A Texas driver’s license.

  He wasn’t lying about having connections.

  “Looks like I’ll be living here now. So, I have a long time to make it up to you.”

  Continue the journey…with OAKEN—Book 1 of the Underground Series

  Before Everything

  In retrospect, Autumn could not have chosen a worse night to get drunk for the first time.

  “So, you’re Luke’s sister, right?” asked a senior jock with half-closed eyelids, who was much drunker than Autumn. She nodded, taking another gulp of the poison her brother had mixed up for her. “And you’re twins? But you don’t look anything like him. I mean, Luke is so tall and gangly and you are so…not.” He winked. “Not saying you’re fat, just saying you’ve got curves. Good curves.” Autumn downed the rest of her drink. “I don’t usually go for redheads, but for you I think I can make an exception.”

  “Okay. Time to go, Rose,” Autumn’s brother Luke said from behind her, shooting the crestfallen jock a warning look.

  The jock ignored Luke. “Rose? I thought your name was Autumn.”

  “Rose is my middle name.”

  The jock hiccupped. “Roses are pretty.”

  “Leaving. Now.” Luke pulled Autumn off of the couch and out to the car.

  “Are you sure you can drive right now?” Autumn asked Luke, her words slurring slightly, something she was not accustomed to. Her head swam in the alcohol and she wanted nothing more than to be in her bed. She was never drinking again. Ever.

  “I drive better drunk than sober.” Luke laughed as he turned the key in the ignition, his old Ford pickup roaring to life.

  “I can’t believe I drank so much.” Autumn cradled her face in her hands. “I was supposed to be the DD.”

  “Live a little, Rose! Save people tomorrow.”

  “Hey, Oaken! Y’all leavin’?” a voice called from outside. Autumn didn’t bother to look at who it was.

  “Yeah, man,” Luke said. “Our parents are early risers. They’ll kill us if they find out we went to this party.”

  “Lame!” the guy yelled before tripping over a beer bottle.

  With that, Luke floored the gas, kicking up a wave of gravel, and sped down the dirt road leading back into their small town. A line of pink appeared on the horizon, whispering that the sun was not far behind.

  “Hurry, Luke. I bet Mom and Dad are already up.”

  “Chill out. It’s the weekend. They’ll want to sleep in.”

  The tires squealed in protest as Luke turned sharply, throwing Autumn against the car door.

  “Slow down! You’re gonna get us killed.”

  “You were just telling me to hurry! Make up your damn mind.”

  Finally, Autumn could see their small blue house in the distance. No lights shone through the windows. Their parents were still asleep. Luke flew into the circular driveway and quickly killed the loud engine to avoid waking their parents.

  “Don’t slam your—” Luke began as Autumn banged her door shut. “Door.”

  “Oops.”

  “Nice, Rose.”

  “Sorry!” she said in a harsh whisper.

  Luke rolled his eyes and walked around the perimeter of the house to the window they had escaped from several hours ago. It was still cracked a few inches and Luke slowly slid the glass up, trying not to make a sound. He climbed into his bedroom, Autumn right behind him, listening for a sign that their parents were awake, but the air was thick with silence.

  “I can’t believe we actually got away with it,” Autumn said.

  “Yeah, with you slamming doors and everything.” Luke sent her another annoyed glance. “I’m gonna go make sure they’re still in bed.”

  Suddenly a cold chill washed over Autumn, like she had just been dunked in a tub of ice water. Her breath caught in her chest and eyes temporarily clouded over.

  “Rose? You okay?” She heard Luke speak, but he sounded far away. “Maybe you should go to bed. This is the first time you’ve been drunk, after all.”

  “Something’s wrong,” she managed to say.

  “With you?”

  “No. I mean, I don’t know. I just got a really bad feeling all of a sudden.”

  “Maybe you’re about to hurl.” Autumn shot Luke an annoyed look and he laughed. “I’m going to see if Mom and Dad are still sleeping. Here’s a trashcan…just in case.”

  “Gross.” Autumn groaned, collapsing onto Luke’s bed as he tiptoed out of the room.

  Her eyes slid shut, sleep threatening to overtake her, when she heard Luke let out a soul-shaking cry from the other room. Eyes flying open, Autumn sat bolt upright, her heart thumping hard.

  “Luke?” she called out.

  Sporadic footsteps resounded in the hallway and Autumn waited, wide-eyed and terrified. Luke stumbled and clasped the doorway for support. The expression on his face petrified her.

  “Luke, you’re sca
ring me. What’s going on?”

  He opened his mouth to speak but merely choked, letting out a sob.

  “What?” Autumn cried, her voice rising. “What happened?”

  He sobbed something unintelligible. The only word Autumn could make out was “dead.”

  Autumn and Luke stood outside, watching as their entire small town’s police force—and the neighboring towns’ as well—marked their house off with yellow crime scene tape. The first murder in nearly thirty years. The town sheriff, a man with a bulging gut and brown, water-stained teeth approached them with a morose look on his face.

  “I’m afraid there was nothing they could do, kids,” he said. “They’re gone.”

  Autumn’s heart dropped and her body went numb. She felt like she was falling. This couldn’t be happening. It just couldn’t.

  “Who did this?” asked Luke in a dead voice.

  “We’re still investigating that, son.”

  “Why?” Autumn said, barely audible. She wanted to say more, but the words wouldn’t form. Her brain didn’t seem to be working correctly. It was as if the world was spinning in slow motion—or maybe the world was the same as ever and she was the one lagging behind.

  “I can’t say for sure, but it appears to be a random act of violence. It was simply bad luck.” Bad luck, Autumn thought. “It’s strange. There don’t seem to be any signs of forced entry,” the sheriff continued.

  Luke’s face went white and he whispered, “The window.”

  “What’s that, son?”

  “We—we snuck out through the window last night. We left it open.”

  The sheriff frowned, looking at the ground but said nothing.

  “We have no family now,” Autumn whispered. The realization of this statement hit her with such force that she had trouble standing upright.

  “I was told that it was written in your parents’ will that your next of kin lives in some town in Ireland. Arrangements are being made to get y’all over there soon after the funeral.”

  Luke and Autumn looked up and spoke in unison.