To my delight I also found fresh undergarments. I was thankful I wasn’t the first girl from my world to show up at the castle. At least I had the basic things I needed.
Taking my bath was far easier when I wasn’t limping, and I was even able to shave. When I got out twenty-minutes later I was feeling like myself again—yet at the last minute I set aside the pants and put on a dress. I was feeling good, and that made me want to look my best. I pretended it had nothing to do with James’ preference, but I knew it did. That thought should have annoyed me, but it didn’t. My feelings were chaotic, but overall I was excited. The fear I should have felt had somehow been buried under much more exhilarating emotions.
After brushing my teeth and managing to button up enough of the back of the dress myself, I headed downstairs to find Charlotte. In my hurry to take a bath I’d forgotten to ask her where we were to meet.
I looked into the dining room and found it empty. I searched around the area, surely they wouldn’t have left me completely to my own devices. I considered heading outside, but I didn’t want to get myself into more hot water. Instead I headed back upstairs to my room.
I counted the doors again before I found my own. I paused before the door next to mine. There was a fresh bouquet of blue flowers laying on the floor in front of it.
I tried the handle, and surprisingly it turned under my hand. I had expected it would be locked.
I looked inside the room. A large four poster dark wood bed was pushed against one wall, while a desk was pushed against the other.
Otherwise the room was empty.
“This was my uncle’s room.” Charlotte’s voice came from the doorway behind me.
I turned. “Sorry.” I stepped out. “I don’t know why I came in here.” Snooping wasn’t usually one of my vices.
“It’s okay. He isn’t around to use it, and none of us can stand to change anything here.”
And then I felt even worse as I realized she wasn’t talking about him being on a trip. Her facial expression and voice said it all, and the flowers outside the door suddenly made sense. He was dead. “I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry, it wasn’t your fault.”
Without her saying another word, I knew it was someone else’s fault. “I am still sorry to hear of your loss.”
She sighed. “He was an amazing person. You’d have liked him. Everyone did.”
“Did he spend most of his time here or in our world? I mean my world. You know.”
“He’s from here, but he lived in Charleston for years. He actually coached the basketball team at my high school.”
“Wait, is he the uncle that Kevin said also played for the Tar Heels?”
Charlotte smiled. “Yes. Uncle Monty. I was pretty young when he played, but he talked about it a lot, especially when Kevin started to play for them.”
“You have a very athletic family.”
She laughed.
“What?”
“So you still don’t know everything about my Guardians yet.”
“No. Only the bits and pieces I’ve been told.”
“A Guardian is always incredibly strong and fast, so it makes them predisposed to be good at sports. Next time you see Liam ask him about his basketball transformation.”
“What?”
“Ask him. He’ll enjoy telling you about it.”
“Ok…”
“Anyway, James is really athletic too of course, but sports aren’t his thing. He didn’t spend enough time outside of Energo for that part of our culture to rub off on him, although Henry spent even less time, and he loves basketball.”
“Henry seems nice.”
“He is. He’s grown up a lot in the past few years.”
“I bet all of you have.”
“True. Very true.”
“Did I give you enough time to get everything done?”
“Oh. Yes. Absolutely. Ready to do some exploring with me?”
“Yes, but could you do that top button?” I lifted my hair.
“Sure. I’m impressed you stuck with the dress.”
“It seemed the most fitting.” I wasn’t about to admit I did it partly for James. I wasn’t going to be that girl, particularly not to someone as strong as Charlotte.
“You look nice, and they are surprisingly comfortable. I never thought I’d say that.”
I laughed. “It’s funny how our perceptions change in life.”
“Very true.” She stared into the room, and a series of emotions crossed her face. I wondered if she felt things more strongly because she was the Essence, and I found I cared far more than I would have thought. There was something about Charlotte that made her impossible not to like. I hoped that was a real and genuine feeling and not something supernatural.
4
James
“Are you ready to tell us what you wanted to talk about?” Although I had grown to respect Liam far more than I had originally, I still did not talk to him quite as respectfully as I probably should have. For his part, he appeared unconcerned.
“What happened at the Calloway house wasn’t isolated.”
“Did you ever think it was?” No one would break in to a house belonging to the ruling family unless it was imperative.
“No, but I thought maybe it was for a single piece of information. Something left behind.”
“But now you think it is something more?” Henry asked.
“I know it is.”
“What have you learned?”
“First things first, what did you learn?” He turned to me. “You still owe me a briefing from your trip.”
“There is movement up in Icentris.” I chose my words carefully, but shared as much as I could. “Men touched with darkness have been spotted. They are building another gate.”
“A gate?” Liam watched me with interest. “Leading to where?”
“To the lost world.” Calling it his world might have come off as insulting.
“Is that really how you refer to it still?” He leaned back against one of the tall stone walls.
“How else should I refer to it? Surely not home.” I did not mind the place as much now. Finding Ainsley there had changed my view.
His face darkened. “That’s not what I meant.”
“What we call it has no consequence. My father’s followers are building a gate in his name. That is the important part in all this.”
“Why would they want to go there?” Henry fidgeted with the sheath holding his sword. “There’s nothing there for them now that Charlotte is back.”
“There has to be a reason.” I thought over my father’s words about building a kingdom. There had to be a reason why he was choosing the lost world.
“Did you see the gate with your own eyes?” Liam straightened up. “Or is this hearsay?”
“Heard it from Talen.” Normally I would have checked it out myself, but I had been in a hurry to get back to Ainsley.
“Then how do you know it’s true?”
I averted his question. “Talen saw Emma and Stan. Do you know if they were heading up that way?”
“They didn’t say where they were going.”
“Really? They withheld that information from the Gerard?”
“I don’t question my in-laws’ every move.” It was humorous hearing Liam refer to the former Essence and her husband as in-laws.
“I need to talk to them about it.”
“Then why didn’t you follow their trail? You’re supposed to be good at that.”
“I had to get back here to report in.”
“To report in?” Liam raised an eyebrow. “You mean to see Ainsley.”
“That too.”
Liam laughed. “You can’t admit it?”
“Admit what?” I looked up at the bright sun in the sky. It was going to be a beautiful day. Too bad Ainsley and I could not enjoy it together.
“You missed her.”
“Missing her or not, I can do my job.” And I would. I would stay focused
and protect her at the same time.
“Then you have permission to follow now.”
I shook my head. “Not a chance.” I could not leave Ainsley. If my dad was right about the poison, I could not be gone for long.
“And that reason is not Ainsley?” Henry narrowed his eyes.
“I promised her I would not leave her. I am a man of my word.”
“She’s safe here. You know that.” Liam took a few steps toward me.
“But that does not mean she feels safe.” She was comfortable, but Liam did not need to know that.
“You’re hiding something.” Liam crossed his arms. “What are you hiding?”
“Nothing. I briefed you. Now tell you what you learned.” I exerted authority I did not have, but often in life pretending you have power is enough.
“Not until you level with me. That is an order.” Liam’s eyes darkened.
I went with honesty. “I love her.”
“Uh…” Henry shifted uncomfortably.
“You asked me to level with you, and there it is. I am leveling. I refuse to leave her because she may never forgive me. I am lucky she is even talking to me after bringing her here.” The love part was true. I had accepted that, and I hoped a display of honesty and vulnerability was enough to move things forward. Telling Liam about the voice was out of the question.
“She is more than talking with you.” Henry waggled an eyebrow.
I ignored Henry and turned to Liam. “Is that enough leveling with you?”
Liam seemed to consider my words. “For now.”
“Then tell us. Why do you no longer think the break-in was isolated?”
“The gate in the arctic isn’t the only show of organization by Blake’s followers.”
“What else have you heard?” I froze. Would this news change anything?
“A group is mobilizing in the southern mountains.”
“That region has always been loyal to the Winthrops.”
“Exactly why it has me worried.” Liam began to pace.
“Why now? Things are better in Energo than they have been in years.” Henry rubbed his forehead. “Why would anyone support an uprising when times are good?”
“My thoughts exactly. I can only come up with one reason, and it has me very worried.” Liam looked away from both of us.
“What is it?” I tried to hide the nerves in my voice.
“There’s only one way someone else could take power in Energo.”
“Through a new Essence.” Henry’s eyes widened.
“Exactly… but there shouldn’t be a new one for years.” Liam gritted his teeth.
“And no one should even be considering the possibility…” Essences were supposed to rule for at least a hundred years. Emma had been an exception because of my father. “Unless they know Charlotte is expecting and think that baby could become one. There have been no girls born to the new generation of the family yet, but what if Charlotte is carrying one?”
“Exactly. And they shouldn’t know about that. No one outside these walls should know.” Liam’s entire face darkened. It was a reminder that you did not want to get on his bad side. I may have given him a hard time, but he was a fierce warrior. He was far stronger than he appeared.
Henry stiffened. “You think someone on the inside shared that news?”
“Maybe I’m wrong about the motivation, but it has me worried.” Liam looked up at the sky much as I had before, but I knew he wasn’t marveling at the sun and blue sky.
“Should we start questioning the staff?” Henry asked.
Liam shook his head. “We have to be careful. I don’t want to get anyone suspicious.”
“And you do not want to upset Charlotte.” If he was going to call me out on my feelings, I would do the same to him.
“No. She has enough to worry about right now.”
“Is an Essence pregnancy worse than a normal one?” Henry looked down at his boots. “Does she feel more of it?”
“I think so.” Liam sighed and for the first time I noticed the bags under his eyes. “She tries to act like she feels fine, but I can tell she’s feeling awful.”
“She is having trouble sleeping?” I could relate to insomnia. I had been plagued with it most of my life.
Liam nodded. “Yes, and you know I can’t let her stay up alone.”
“You know how she can get some help with it. She could go to the Source.” I made my suggestion despite how ill-advised it might be.
“I don’t want her connecting with the Source right now. It’s too dangerous.”
“But lack of sleep can be dangerous too.” Especially since she was pregnant. She needed to take care of her health.
“Are you really going to pretend you believe that?” Liam narrowed his eyes.
“She uses so much energy already. She is overextending herself, and you are well aware. She needs rest. It is your job to make sure she gets it.”
“Why don’t you suggest it to her? Then we’ll see if you’re so certain it’s a good idea.” Liam rubbed the back of his neck.
“I can handle Charlotte being annoyed at me. It happens a lot.”
“That’s because you aren’t married to her. She goes easy on you.”
Henry laughed. “I would not want to be on Charlotte’s bad side.”
“I can talk to her if you want. If she likes the idea you can take credit.” I was not worried about her getting upset with me, and if my idea could be useful it would be worth it.
Liam mulled over my offer. “I’m not worried about credit.”
“You can do this father thing.” I read through the lines.
Liam frowned. “This has nothing to do with it.”
“Sure it does. You never had a dad so you somehow interpret that to mean you are ill equipped, but the truth is one has nothing to do with the other. Give your kid half of the love you give Charlotte, and you will do fine.” I could not really believe the words coming out of my mouth. Normally I would have given Liam a hard time instead of advice, but I felt for him.
“James, are you ill?” Henry watched me warily.
“I am feeling uncharacteristically giving today.”
“And that has nothing to do with Ainsley?” Henry smiled.
“Does it matter if it does or not?”
He shrugged. “No. Not really.”
“So what do you want us to do?” I was in a hurry to get back to Ainsley.
Liam relaxed as we moved the topic of conversation off of his impending fatherhood. “Right now, talk to any contacts you have. We need to find out how far reaching this new uprising is.”
“The tables do turn.”
“What do you mean?”
“When I was a kid my father said the same thing…”
“Don’t compare me to your father.”
“I am comparing the situations, not the people.” I turned and walked back toward the main section of the castle.
“Did I release you, James?” Liam called after me.
I stopped, but I did not turn around. I had gone sappy once, and I was done with that for the day. “No, but I could tell you were done talking.”
“If you see Charlotte feel free to give your suggestion, but if she flips I’m denying the permission.”
“Understood.” I continued toward the door. I held back my snarky response.
5
Ainsley
I knew the castle would have a nice library. I wasn’t surprised in the slightest when Charlotte pushed open the door to a room with floor-to-ceiling bookcases that covered the walls. Still, assuming something is different than actually seeing it.
“Before you ask, no I haven’t read all of the books in here.”
“I wasn’t going to ask that.” You would have to have a lot of free time to read that many books. There had to be thousands.
“I’ve read some, particularly that wall over there.” She pointed to a back corner. “Those are the books I brought here from back home.”
“I’ll have to remember that section if I end up spending a lot of time here.”
“Are you still doubting you will?” She watched me carefully.
“This isn’t my home.” I kept my tone light. I didn’t want to offend her, but she had to realize I had no intention of staying in Energo for the rest of my life.
“Maybe not this castle, but I am convinced you have a tie to Energo. I just need to figure out what it is.”
“I don’t have a tie.”
“You do.” She said it simply as though there were no other possibilities.
“Arguing with you further will be pointless.” Even if I completely disagreed. I’d never even heard of Energo before meeting James, and I was positive no one in my family had.
“Yes, as it will be if I keep trying to argue with you.” She smiled.
“Then should we just agree to disagree?”
“Sounds like a plan.” She walked towards the shelf she had pointed out earlier.
“Going to pick out a book to read?”
“Not exactly.” She passed the section of the books from our world and continued to another dustier shelf. She grabbed hold of the spine of a large black book. After a moment, the shelf gave way and opened into some sort of passageway.
“Follow me.” Charlotte stepped into the passage. She touched a sconce on the wall and it lit up with fire. All the other ones down the wall did the same thing.
I stared in wonder. “I’m not sure if I should.”
“Come on, it’s cool. I promise.”
I took a few steps forward and the wall of books closed behind us.
“What is this place?” I glanced around at the stone walls surrounding us.
“It’s a secret passage.” She grinned. “Kind of cool, huh?”
“Very.” I gazed around some more. I was still trying to accept her touch could create fire. Everyone told me how powerful she was, and I knew she could heal, but seeing her create fire seemed even more intense and even a little bit frightening.
“There are quite a few in the castle, but this one is my favorite.” She continued down the narrow passageway.
Forged in Ice Page 3