by Diana Paz
She watched his shoulders fall. He nodded once, then said something to Brian, who shrugged and walked off. Ethan returned to his bedroom. He lay down and shut his eyes. Faintly, in a faraway voice, muffled by his barrier she sensed words not meant for her ears.
I want to be with you.
She pressed her lips together. Was he looking at her now, as she looked at him?
The girls were waiting. She didn’t have time to worry about what Ethan was feeling. She should be letting them know what was going on, but… she didn’t want to let go of Ethan. Not yet.
Ethan? How do you keep the connection between us when your eyes are open?
You’ll learn, he said, his voice tinged with a strange sadness. But with my eyes open I can’t see you. I can only maintain the connection with your voice.
Julia kept her mind on Ethan and tried opening her eyes. The moment her lids lifted, she saw the world around her and the connection slipped away, as quick as a balloon’s string through her fingers. “Oh!” she cried.
“What’s wrong?” Angie asked.
She was tempted to tell Angie what was wrongs… what was really wrong. That Ethan made her heart feel like it was breaking. That her chest felt as though there was an elephant sitting on it, and every now and then when things seemed normal and she was happy, she would feel a stab of pain in her heart and miss him so bad she wanted to cry. But all of those feelings for someone she barely knew didn’t make any sense. Ethan hadn’t even been her boyfriend. And Brian, who had been her boyfriend… she hadn’t cried for him. Not even once.
What was her heart mourning? What did her heart know that she didn’t?
She sensed Ethan trying to talk to her again, but she was tired of feeling these feelings. She had a mission to worry about, and she had spent too long talking with him as it was. When he called her again, she didn’t reply, giving him the same silence he had given her so many times.
“Brian is still changing,” she finally said, her eyes focused on the other Daughters. “That’s what’s wrong. The Scylla poison is taking stronger hold. Ethan… Ethan opened up to me,” her voice dropped to a husky whisper. “He showed me what Brian’s going through. Brian’s trying to hide it from Ethan but it’s more than just the black veins under his skin. He’s acting differently. And his eyes,” she swallowed against the knot in her throat. “Ethan says they’re going back and forth… sometimes they look normal, but sometimes the pupils are like—like—”
“Like snake eyes?” Kaitlyn supplied. “With slits for pupils.”
Julia nodded.
“He’s a goner,” Kaitlyn said.
“He isn’t! We’ll find a way to save him,” Julia said, remembering Indira’s words. “We can travel back through our own timeline. Change what happened. This time I won’t go into the water—”
“It’s not possible,” Angie countered, her pale brows lowering.
“You’re talking about joining with Indira,” Kaitlyn accused.
“I’m not. I’m talking about finding the jewels.” Her voice hardened as her mind formed a plan. It was crazy but… what if they really could use Indira’s advice without accepting her help? “Indira said there was a way to move through our own timeline, and she can’t lie.”
“It would mean using dark magic,” Angie said, her voice hard and unlike her. “Don’t… don’t suggest this again.”
Julia swallowed. Dark magic? “What if the jewels could still help? What if they were combined with an even greater power?”
Kaitlyn’s gaze grew sharp. “Meliah’s power, to enhance her healing.”
Julia nodded. “We could take her the jewels. If we work together to heal him while Meliah helps, we might be powerful enough.”
“No,” Angie said. “That would mean finding the jewels… the talisman, artifact, whatever it is, and returning to our own time before the task is completed. We already know it’s forbidden.”
Julia stared at her friend, biting back words that sprung to her lips about how freaking uptight she was about their magic. “It was forbidden last time and we did it anyway.”
“And we let creatures into our own world,” Angie said, her enormous blue eyes pleading with Julia. “We can’t ever do that again. It’s the one thing we’re trying to prevent most of all, don’t you see?”
Julia couldn’t see. Not with Brian’s life hanging in the balance. “This isn’t just about the Fates anymore. It’s about our friends.”
“We can’t put the mission before anyone. Not even Brian.”
“Are you kidding?” Julia fumed, heat rushing up her neck. “You’re going to let him turn into a creature because of your addiction to following the rules and playing it by the book?”
Angie’s pale face looked stricken and Julia immediately regretted her words.
“Sorry, sorry, I didn’t mean that—”
Kaitlyn snickered. “Yeah. You did.”
“Shut up.”
“I’m not the one being harsh this time,” Kaitlyn said. “Maybe you should do the shutting up.”
Julia saw a flash of red as she took a step forward, but Angie came between them. “Both of you hush,” she said, her cool presence working like medicine on a fever. Julia gave Kaitlyn a hesitant, apologetic nod. Kaitlyn lowered her eyes briefly, nodding once as well.
“That’s as close as you two will come to making up,” Angie said, glancing at them both with an endearing smile that even Kaitlyn returned. “We’re wasting time,” she continued. “What if we finish the mission first and then focus on finding the Jewels of Time. We can go back to the present once we have them, and since our task would be complete, we wouldn’t have to worry about the creatures.”
“It might be too late.” Julia dug her hands through her hair. “Brian is changing more and more by the second.”
Angie pressed her lips together. “If he changes fully…”
“He’ll be a creature forever.”
“And he would be a servant of the Sorceress.” Kaitlyn added, glancing up at Angie. “We would have to kill him. Ethan wouldn’t be able to do it.”
Julia watched the war of emotions playing out across Angie’s sweet face. Her head fell forward as her eyes squeezed shut. “You’re right. We can’t let that happen to him. It-it would be wrong, and moreover, it would endanger the present. The threads of time already showed us what would happen if he commanded an army of Scylla.”
“Does this mean we’ll look for the jewels first?” Julia asked, hardly daring to hope.
Angie nodded, though her eyes tightened.
Julia’s chest collapsed with relief.
“As soon as we locate the jewels,” Angie continued, “we’ll return to the present and take Brian back to the beach. We’ll need to use our powers in connection with Meliah, so that means we have to bring her out from the Timeway.”
“Maybe this can help.” Julia took out the seashell, ridged on one side and smooth on the other. She offered it to Angie. “Meliah gave it to me. When we left Atlantis and I got separated from the nymph guy, the shell started to glow.”
Angie took the small, simple item. “It looks so ordinary,” she murmured, turning it over in her palm. “When it glowed, did you feel any power emanating from it?”
Julia remembered the way the ocean’s pressure had lifted. How, despite leaving the nymph’s side, she had been able to breathe. “I felt something. I wonder if it has the same magic as the golden light. Even without the nymph near me, I was still been able to breathe underwater.”
“If Meliah infused this with her magic, it could be a powerful artifact. We need to take it the ocean and see what it can do.” She handed the shell back to Julia. “You might want to make it into a necklace so you don’t lose it.”
Julia closed her fingers around it. “Good idea.”
Jules?
Julia’s brows knit together. What did he want now? She was tempted to ignore him again, but she should keep him updated with their plans. I was telling the others what you to
ld me. She broke their connection when he didn’t reply, noticing Angie’s questioning glance. “Ethan. I wanted to tell him our plan.”
“Oh god,” Kaitlyn muttered, her back against a tree and her eyes on her nails. “Not this again. You’re going to be at his beck and call forever.”
Julia glared at her before shutting her eyes and finding Ethan again. We’re going to find the Jewels of Time and use them to help Brian. We’ll come back as soon as we have them.
If I nudge you, will you answer me?
Julia’s cheeks warmed at the request.
Please?
She exhaled. Fine. I will.
Ethan let go of the connection first. Julia fought the urge to cling to it, wanting so bad for things to be okay between them and knowing they never could be. Even alone in their minds they built walls and shut each other out. Even when they were connected, they were as far apart as two people could be.
“Wow. Are you crying?” Kaitlyn mocked.
“No!” Julia turned her head away, unable to keep from sniffling. Her cheeks burned worse than ever, and the more she tried to contain her emotions, the more they seemed to come to the surface. After a few seconds she managed to say, “I’m fine. Let’s get started.”
Angie’s brows peaked above her wide, powder-blue eyes, but she nodded once. “I guess you can’t summon Ethan with his brother on the brink of turning Scylla. We’re really on our own.”
“We’ve got this,” Kaitlyn said, rising. “You won’t need to summon Ethan. Let’s go find the jewels, kick some demon ass, and finish this. I bet we’re home before dark.”
Angie’s mouth slanted in a doubtful frown. “We need to find appropriate clothing. As it is we aren’t going to blend in at all. If we don’t do something about that, we’ll probably be accosted, maybe worse.”
“Accosted?”
“She means raped,” Kaitlyn said.
Julia’s hands grew clammy and she closed them into fists. “Geez, way to be blunt.”
One of Kaitlyn’s brows lifted, but her gaze was steady. “If you fear something so much that its name makes you nervous to even say it, you’ll never be strong enough to fight it.”
Julia didn’t know what to make of Kaitlyn sometimes… no, wait. She never knew what to make of Kaitlyn.
Angie headed down the bluff. Julia and Kaitlyn followed as she maneuvered through lush, dark green bushes. Flowers that looked like orange birds poked their heads up through tall leaves.
Julia looked beyond the row of shops ahead, toward a large house in the distance. “We could swipe some clothes from someone. I guess it should be a rich person’s house since they can afford it. What do you think?”
Angie’s brushed her white-blond hair along her ear, her head listing to the side. “It’s stealing but… I suppose we don’t have much of a choice.”
“We’re going to save their lives from monsters,” Kaitlyn said. “Who cares if they lose a few dresses?”
“Rich people can buy themselves more, anyway,” Julia said. “I mean, if we took from poor people… that would suck. Maybe a dress costs them a month’s salary.”
Kaitlyn rolled her eyes. “I guess a poor person would know.”
Heat prickled in Julia’s chest. “Living in an apartment without a maid isn’t skid row, jerk.”
Kaitlyn’s lips parted, but she was silent a moment. “I didn’t mean anything by it,” she finally said.
Julia’s brows lowered. She didn’t know how to react to Kaitlyn’s neutral tone. In fact, Kaitlyn confused her more than ever lately. “Just. Careful what you say.”
Kaitlyn’s eyes softened before she abruptly turned away. “Are we all done fighting and making up? Seriously, if we were dating we would be having make-up sex by now.” She stood and headed toward the road. “Let’s go already. Creatures are swarming the portal and dooming our world, as Angie keeps reminding us.”
“Since we don’t know Spanish,” Angie said. “If we need to talk to anyone, Julia and I can use your mind, Kaitlyn. We can temporarily learn Spanish from you.”
“You mean, dive into my thoughts?”
“Yes, but—”
Kaitlyn squinted at the horizon. “No.”
“We wouldn’t look into your thoughts. We would just use the Comprehend spell.”
“Use it on someone else,” Kaitlyn said. “It doesn’t have to be me.”
Julia couldn’t hold back her exasperated sigh. Why was she so freaking touchy about their connection?
Angie’s head tilted thoughtfully at Kaitlyn. “That’s a good point. I preferred not to breach innocent minds, but I respect your boundaries.”
Kaitlyn didn’t move, but the trace of tension between her eyes melted away. “Thanks.”
Angie gave Kaitlyn one of her sweeter, more adorable smiles. Julia could almost see little pink hearts float up around her cheeks.
Kaitlyn looked away, her eyes resting on the road. “There’s a house that way. It’s probably where that fancy carriage was heading.”
“It looks like there’s a hacienda. A wealthy family probably lives there.”
“The big house with the high walls?” Julia asked.
She nodded. “Though, it might be easier if we pretended to be commoners, and not dress like the richest people in town.”
“Or, we could use magic to convince people of who we are,” Kaitlyn said. “I mean, seriously. Commoners? Maybe Julia can pass for it—”
“Hey,” Julia called out.
Kaitlyn ignored her, holding up a lock of Angie’s hair. “But you are freaking pale. Blond hair, blue eyes? Look around you. What do these commoners look like to you?”
She waved a hand at the short, dark-haired women. A few of the maids were lighter skinned, but their shining black hair and eyes stood in contrast to Angie’s snowflake prettiness.
Kaitlyn dropped Angie’s hair and crossed her arms in front of her, walking ahead. “A blonde maid in this Spanish town will stand out way more. Think up a new plan.”
“Do we need a plan?” Julia asked, catching up with her as they crossed the main road and headed across more low brush. “I mean, last time there was a Queen to protect, and the French Revolution was an organized takeover. This time there won’t be royal guards or anything like that to worry about. It seems like the Sorceress is going for wholesale destruction now, pirate-style. What if we just blend in?”
“There isn’t a centralized historical event,” Angie murmured, “but there must be some reason why the Sorceress chose this particular thread of time.”
“Um… because pirates?” Julia shrugged. “What better cover for killing people?”
Angie toyed with the end of her hair. She had a blank expression on her face as she walked.
Kaitlyn snapped her fingers. “Angie. Get with it.”
“Hm?” She looked up, her eyes a confused skyscape of pale blue. “Sorry. I was just thinking… I don’t know if the Sorceress is looking for a particular figure this time. I know that the more influence a person has in the world, the more power the Sorceress gains from his or her death. One death could affect timelines and cause ripples throughout the world, but considering what the threads of time have shown us so far, the Sorceress is trying a different tactic. Killing en masse is effective, too. Especially the way pirates kill.”
“Sadistic killing is the most powerful kind,” Kaitlyn said.
Angie glanced up at her. “That’s true. It’s also the most corrupting kind.”
Julia watched Kaitlyn, a small chill skittering like a spider down her back. “How do you know about sadistic killing?”
Kaitlyn’s mouth curved up. “Isn’t it obvious? Causing pain and fear makes a death more meaningful.”
They slowed as they reached the hacienda’s gated entryway. “Did Indira tell you that?”
Kaitlyn paled beneath her perfectly tanned complexion. “Why do you always bring her up?”
Angie placed a soft hand on Julia’s shoulder before she could reply. “If the comm
oner idea isn’t going to work, we’ll need a cover for being here,” she paused, peering through the rod iron gates into the enormous home. “And we need to figure out where ‘here’ is.”
Julia wondered at the size of the place. It made her think of something haunted.
Angie moistened her lips and sent a small spark of magic at the lock. Julia held her breath as Angie’s fingers curled around the dark metal, pushing at the gate until it moved inward with a high-pitched creak.
~ Chapter 15 ~
Kaitlyn
They checked room after room throughout the hacienda, but despite the size of the place, Kaitlyn wasn’t impressed. This was no Parisian palace. The crude, wrought iron window frameworks looked peasant-made, and not at all like the fine artistry at Tuileries. Cracks and chips marred the walls in every hallway. The place wasn’t lined with guards and servants. She tossed her hair, pushing at another wooden doorway. This hacienda was bigger than even the richest homes in Santa Monica, but it wasn’t built for royalty. It wouldn’t take long to go through the entire home and find the kind of clothes they needed.
“Bingo,” Julia said as she looked into a doorway.
Kaitlyn abandoned the room she had just begun to enter—it only had a desk and some high-backed leather chairs—and followed Julia.
‘Bingo’ was right. A bed. A vanity. Loads and loads of lace. “It’s dress up time,” she murmured, brushing past Julia and going straight for the wardrobe.
Clothes. Kaitlyn felt her scar pull as a smile crept up her cheeks. She ran her hands down the smooth, soft fabric of a long gown.
Satin….
Silk…
The detail didn’t compare with the gowns they had worn in Paris. Maybe if she hadn’t seen the decadent beadwork and attention to detail of the Parisian gowns, she would be able to appreciate these heaps of shapeless fabric, but as it was? The dresses looked more like they belonged staked to the ground with sleeping bags inside of them.
For a moment she envisioned the top part of the gown in different material, the black lace stretched across dark purple or hot pink, the skirt slit up the side… or cut short with ruffled layers that revealed creamy thighs with each step. She imagined the way the soft fabric would settle in a teasing heap when the girl wearing it sat down.