by Lynette Noni
“But—”
“As has the time for ‘buts’,” the Library interrupted.
Against her will, a small smile touched Alex’s lips. “You have an answer for everything, don’t you?”
“Given who I am, I should hope so.”
Right. A Library would hopefully know things. And yet, still weird.
“Will it work?” Alex asked quietly, knowing that whatever sentience the Library had meant it already knew what she was thinking. “My plan?”
“You shall have to discover that for yourself,” the Library answered, if gently. “You have always been the master of your own destiny. Now is the time to choose your path and follow where it might lead.”
“But… the prophecy…?” Even though Alex wanted to ignore it, it remained firmly in the back of her mind. She wasn’t allowing it to dictate her actions—as Niyx had said, ‘Screw the prophecy’—but her fears regarding how much power it truly had were still there.
The Library, however, remained silent, its presence having vanished, even when she repeated her not-quite question.
But someone else spoke up.
“The prophecy never said Aven cannot be defeated without aid from Tia Auras. It merely said that with help from the world beyond the stars, the captives would be set free.”
Alex rose so that she was standing as she faced Athora. “I didn’t think I’d see you again,” she said quietly.
His only response was a short, “You thought wrong.”
She considered the words of the prophecy he knew, and then the words of the full prophecy, and realised that what he’d said was true. It only spoke of what would happen in the case of the Tia Aurans joining them. But then there was that last verse, the one he didn’t know—‘If, however, darkness wins, there is no strategy, to keep from all that will be lost, and so will always be.’
… And yet, it still didn’t specifically say that without the Tia Aurans, darkness would win. Just that if darkness won, all would be lost.
Alex raised a hand to massage her throbbing temple. Looking at Athora, she said, hesitantly, “What if—What if you joined us?”
He shook his cloaked head. “My time has not yet come.”
“But—”
“I was banished along with Aes Daega,” Athora reminded her. “I’m no longer considered a native of Tia Auras, and thus cannot fulfil the requirements of the prophecy.”
It had been worth a try, even if Alex had already presumed as much.
“I will say this, Alexandra,” Athora said, his monotone shifting to inject a shade of emotion into his words. “I’ve never known anyone who has failed so spectacularly as you.”
Alex sucked in a sharp breath. His uncensored opinion was the last thing she needed to hear, considering what she was about to face.
“But,” he said, talking over her when she opened her mouth to offer her own choice words, “I’ve also never known anyone who has had more tenacity of spirit. In spite of everything that has come against you, past and present, you have never given up. So I know that if there’s anyone who can do the impossible, it’s you. Today is the day you show this world what you’re made of. Don’t let them down.”
And then he was gone.
But in his place was Kaiden, as if Athora had just been waiting to swap the two of them over.
With a breath that hitched in the middle, Alex rushed forward and threw her arms around him.
“Are you okay?” she whispered. “What you did—with Lena—and then with Aven—that could have—”
“I’m fine,” he gently interrupted her broken sentences. “It didn’t feel so great at the time, but I’m better now.”
“Why didn’t you nullify Aven and stop him from using— from using—” Alex couldn’t bring herself to mention Blink’s gift, a wave of sadness engulfing her at the thought of her departed friend.
Kaiden moved his hands soothingly across her back as he said, “I figured I’d only have one chance with the element of surprise, and helping everyone escape was more important than avoiding a little pain.”
A little pain? Alex would never forget the sounds of his screams, the way his skin had changed colours and his lips had turned blue, the gleeful tone in Aven’s voice as he speculated about melted organs.
Shuddering, she tightened her grip on him, holding him all the more closely until finally she was able to accept that he was real, he was safe, and he was here. Only then was she able to pull back enough to look at him, while still remaining in the circle of his arms.
“Do you know what’s happened?” she asked. “What Aven has offered?”
Alex wasn’t sure how long she’d been down in the cavern. All she knew was that, unlike most of the rest of the Library, time passed as normal while she was in the underground room, just as it had for her parents in their Ancient Egyptian environment, which meant the clock was still ticking down to noon in the outside world.
“I was in the Med Ward when Dix was brought in by her parents,” Kaiden answered. “The commotion when she reunited with Jordan was enough to wake most of Medora, and in amongst her apologies, she explained Aven’s proposition.”
Her throat bobbing, Alex whispered, “Then you know what I have to do next.”
He tilted her chin up so that their eyes met. “With him, or with me?”
Yet again, she found herself amazed that he knew her so well. “Both. But with you, first.”
Kaiden stroked his thumb along her jaw. “I understand why you think you have to do it. I just wish you weren’t doing it for the reasons that you are.”
“If I don’t—If I can’t—” Alex took a breath and tried again. “If Aven manages to succeed, it’s bad enough that my bond with Xira means he’d die with me. I can’t handle thinking the same about you.” Another shuddered breath. “Aven knows I’ve Claimed you now, so he won’t try a second time. Not today, at least. And if—if I don’t make it, you’ll just have to make sure that you two don’t cross paths again.”
Easier said than done, Alex knew, but she prayed that wasn’t a problem Kaiden would have to face.
“Are you sure—”
“Yes,” Alex interrupted firmly, not allowing him the chance to change her mind. This was one life that would be spared, even if her own wasn’t. Especially if her own wasn’t. “You remember what to say?”
It took Kaiden a long moment, but he finally nodded.
So, with a blaze of light, Alex summoned A’enara and cut both of their palms before carrying out the ritual. Unlike with what Niyx had pulled, she had already made Kaiden promise to accept her Release, and while she could tell he did so now against his better judgement, he held true to his word, and within moments, he was free of her.
“You know, I can’t help being disappointed that you didn’t accidentally reveal anything while our minds were connected,” he said, his eyes playful as he leaned towards her, his non-bloodied hand moving to rest against her cheek.
“There was a reason I was against mentally communicating with you, if you’ll recall,” Alex said.
“Oh, I recall,” Kaiden said. “You were most adamant. Enough that I’m curious what kind of thoughts you wanted to keep hidden from me.”
Sliding her fingers up his neck and threading them into his hair as he moved even closer, Alex only said, “If we survive this day, maybe I’ll tell you myself.”
“Now that is a promise I expect you to keep,” Kaiden whispered against her lips.
But then he couldn’t say anything more, and neither could she.
Instead, he was kissing her. Kissing her like their lives depended on it, like she was the very air he needed to breathe. It was a kiss that sealed the words of her promise, a kiss that demanded she follow through on what she’d said, a kiss that all but ordered she survive and return to him. And she had every intention of doing just that.
The problem was, she didn’t know if she would succeed.
But, kissing him back just as passionately and exacting the same pro
mises of survival from him in return, Alex knew she was damn well going to try.
When Alex and Kaiden arrived at the Med Ward, Jordan, Bear and D.C. were no longer there.
After a quick word from the very busy Fletcher, they learned that the three had taken off to find Alex. Kaiden offered to go after them, while nudging her towards the corner of the Ward where her parents were seated on the edge of a bed and looking at her, white faced.
Slowly, she approached, having no idea how to handle the coming conversation. But when she was only a few steps away, she couldn’t keep from uttering a sob-sound and launching herself into their arms, just as she had been longing to do for the last week during her time in Tia Auras. They held her tight, whispering that they were okay, that she was okay, that everything would be okay—all the promises that she so desperately needed to hear from them.
Only when she pulled herself together enough to speak did Alex untangle from them and say, “Mum, Dad, I—”
“Smart boy, that Kaiden,” Jack interrupted, looking at the doors Kaiden had just left through.
Alex followed his gaze and then turned back only to ask, “Sorry?”
Rachel, despite her pale features, had a smile tugging at her lips. “And so handsome. He’s perfect for you, sweetheart. We knew it from the moment you introduced us.”
“Seriously?” Alex couldn’t help saying with clear disbelief. Sure, Aven had outed Kaiden as her boyfriend, but still… “Don’t you think there are more important things we should be talking about right now?”
They both just looked at her, and Jack said, “Such as?”
“Such as?” Alex repeated, incredulous. She knew her parents were laid back, but this was verging on ridiculous. “How about how you were both abducted two weeks ago? I can’t imagine what you went through in that time, and I—” She choked on her words, tears welling in her eyes. In a whisper, she tried again. “Everything that happened to you is my fault. I never should have brought you to this world.”
“Oh, honey,” Jack said, pulling Alex close so that she was seated between them on the bed. “If you’ll remember, we didn’t give you a choice in bringing us here.”
“You did everything you could to keep us safe,” Rachel agreed, curling her arm around Alex and kissing the top of her head. “If we’d stayed inside the Library as you’d told us to, over and over again, we never would have been captured.”
“So, it’s our own fault that we were abducted, not yours,” Jack said.
“But,” Rachel said, reaching for Alex’s hands, “sweetheart, whatever you think happened to us in the time we were gone, it’s likely much worse than the truth.”
Alex shook her head, certain they were only trying to make her feel better. “You were at Taevarg. You were—”
“Protected.”
Rachel’s quiet word made Alex pause.
Seeing her confusion, Jack said, “Despite what you think, we were only at that prison place for a few hours before we saw you yesterday. The rest of the time we were at Chateau Shondelle with Marcus and Natasha Sparker, who kept us safe from Aven and all his… people. They assured the elf that they were handling us in a manner that would please him, and because of that, he left us alone, presuming we were being mistreated as expected.”
Part of Alex couldn’t believe that after everything, her dad was still referring to Aven as ‘the elf’. But what he was saying about Jordan’s parents… Alex struggled to believe it. And yet, Marcus had tackled Aven, his sacrifice ultimately saving them all.
“Marcus told us many things while we were in his care,” Rachel said. “He was… remorseful over his actions. What he did to his son, what he allowed Aven to do, he couldn’t forgive himself for that. Both he and Natasha, all they ever wanted was to keep Jordan safe. Do you—Did your friend ever tell you he once had a brother?”
Quietly, Alex said, “Luka.”
“Marcus and Natasha were never the same after losing him,” Jack said. “They couldn’t handle the idea of anything happening to Jordan, as well. Everything they ever did was to protect him.”
“Perhaps they should have focused more on being better parents than trying to ‘protect’ him,” Alex said, unable to keep the judgement from her tone. “Jordan nearly died yesterday because of Aven—because of who Marcus and Natasha chose to side with.”
“They were never Claimed by him,” Jack said softly. “Which meant, when the time came for them to make a decision, they were able to make the right one.”
His eyes wandered across the room and Alex looked as well, only to see Natasha sitting on one of the Med Ward beds, shock and grief written all over her face. Jordan hadn’t been conscious during Marcus’s confrontation with Aven—the only good thing that had come from his torture, since no child should have to witness the death of a parent, estranged or otherwise— so someone else must have told Natasha about her husband’s passing. Jordan, too, would have been told, and Alex had no idea how he might be handling the news, especially since the last time he’d seen his father was when Marcus had handed him over for Aven to Claim.
Licking her lips, Alex thought back to everything that had happened in the Meyarin palace library. How Marcus hadn’t tied up her parents, how he’d stayed in front of them, keeping them from moving forward when Aven had attacked Kaiden and confronted Alex. She’d thought Marcus was stopping them from trying to help or escape, but now, given what her parents claimed, it was possible—possible—that he had kept them back to protect them.
“For two weeks, we have been guests at Chateau Shondelle, nothing less,” Rachel promised, her arm squeezing Alex’s middle to drive her point home. “Marcus and Natasha were kind to us in that time. Kind, and informative.”
Something about her tone put Alex on edge, a reaction that was justified when Jack spoke up next.
“Why didn’t you tell us how much trouble you were in?” he asked, making her squirm under his gaze. “We knew there was a reason you were keeping us locked away, but you were always so adamant that you were handling it—that you were dealing with your elf problem.”
“I never actually called it that,” Alex defended. “That was all you.”
“Nevertheless,” Jack said, scratching his chin which was considerably more bristled than when Alex had last seen him, “Marcus and Natasha explained the full extent of what you have faced, and what you have yet to face.”
This was good, Alex realised. Even if she struggled to believe the Sparkers’ motives had been pure, their efforts meant she wouldn’t have to spend her limited time offering lengthy explanations.
“Then you’ll understand when I say I’m taking you back to Freya—back to Earth,” Alex said.
Neither of her parents blinked at her statement, almost as if they’d been expecting it.
“Are you coming with us?” Jack asked.
Hesitantly, Alex said, “If Marcus and Natasha really did tell you everything, then you’ll know I can’t.”
“No, honey, we know you won’t,” Rachel said, if gently.
With her eyes prickling at the understanding looks on their faces, in a croaky voice, Alex said, “I have to do what I can to protect the people of this world.”
Jack and Rachel looked past her at each other, silently communicating, before they turned back to her.
“We raised you to be independent and strong, and to make your own choices in life,” Jack said. “So any protests we might wish to make—”
“Of which there are many,” Rachel jumped in.
“—would be hypocritical,” Jack continued. Quietly, he added, “We haven’t always been there for you in the way you deserved, and that’s on us, our failing as your parents—”
“No,” Alex shook her head. “That’s not—”
“—but we’ve always tried to do what we thought was best,” Jack spoke over her. “And right now, we know that what’s best is for us to respect your decision.”
Alex wilted with relief, pleased, at least, that her parents were ag
reeing to leave Medora so that they might be safe from the coming battle. That meant two less people for her to worry about.
“And now we ask that you respect our decision,” Jack went on, causing Alex to stiffen with apprehension, especially with what Rachel said next.
“We’re not leaving you, sweetheart,” her mother said firmly.
Dread pooled in Alex and she opened her mouth to protest, but Rachel continued, “You’re our daughter, and we love you. While we’ve never been the most conventional of parents, we’ve always supported you. So if this is what you have to do, then we’re going to be with you through it all.”
Alex swallowed against the tightness of her throat. “I can’t do what I have to do if I’m afraid you’ll become casualties,” she said. Pausing, she added, “And no offence, but neither of you know how to fight.”
“I’ll have you know I came runner-up at the World Fencing Championships when I was only a few years older than you,” Jack said.
The surprise on Alex’s face caused him to laugh.
“Don’t look so shocked,” he said. “I haven’t always been interested in digging up the past.”
“Before he understood that certain elements of the past have been buried for a reason, his most fervent wish was to travel through time and join the action of ancient eras,” Rachel said with a fond smile as she looked at her husband. “Do you remember that time you took up archery when we were working in Peru, and you shot an arrow through your own foot?”
Alex gaped at him. “You told me that scar was from an accident with a nail gun.”
“The truth was somewhat more embarrassing,” Jack said, colour rising to his cheeks.
“The point is,” Rachel said to Alex, “we’re capable of handling ourselves. So we’re not going anywhere. If you’re staying, we’re staying.”
Alex raised a hand to her forehead, thinking. Unless she dragged them kicking and screaming back to Freya—or convinced Fletcher to sedate them into compliance—she knew her parents enough to realise they weren’t going to change their minds. But that meant…
“I don’t think you truly understand what’s going to happen today,” she said quietly.