This lifetime… it was meant to protect us. Meant to give Adrina and I another chance. We could have lived normally, could have grown up and met people and fallen in love. That had already been ripped from me once. Would it happen again? Would I never be happy and carefree? Would I always have to look over my shoulder and regard people with mistrust? Would I never be loved?
Would I end up dead once again?
My jaws locked, and I tried to keep my anger in check as a surge of determination flooded through me. It wasn't going to happen again. This time, I was going to take him down. Adrina had saved me once, and now, I was going to return the favour. She was going to have a wonderful life.
We both were.
"Where did you bury the celestial lantern?” I asked.
"In the wheat fields,” Andrew replied, pointing. "About halfway along. I doubt anyone will find it there—it's pretty deep."
I nodded.
"Good,” I said casually. "I'm glad. Listen, I need to get some fresh air. My head is all stuffy. Let Valarie know that I'll be back soon, and not to worry. She's stressing out about me."
"Where are you going, though?” Jason asked. I shrugged.
"Just for a walk. I won't be long—” I promised. It seemed to work; they finally went inside, and when they were out of sight, I grabbed Jason's shovel and dragged it through the dirt as I headed for the fields.
* * *
It turned out digging holes wasn't as easy as it looks. I honestly didn't know how grave robbers did it. It took me a good ten minutes to even locate where Andrew buried the lantern, and even then it was a shot in the dark. I noticed that the soil looked a little messed within one spot, so I got to work digging there.
Half an hour later, I was dripping with sweat and regretting my choice. It was going to be so obvious what I'd been up to when I got back—my sweater looked like it had been subjected to an impromptu art project.
They were going to be so mad.
Still, it's not like the lantern had been safe here. I didn't trust Jason for a second after what I'd dreamed about. I'd been digging for ages, and was even thinking about giving up and trying another spot, but suddenly my shovel hit something with a clang. I peered down into the hole and spotted the silver lantern, buried deep in the soil.
After digging the hole out a bit more so I could actually get to it, I reached in and tugged it out. The moment my hand touched it, it began to glow, and warmth radiated off of it.
I gasped, feeling a tug from within. Before I knew what was happening, the orb's power had consumed me, like the contact between us had flicked a switch of some kind.
The light grew brighter and brighter, consuming me, flowing through my veins and blending with my blood. I had to shut my eyes from the intensity of the light. I felt the power hidden in my heart, bubbling and blossoming. It was a feeling I'd never experienced before in my life.
I was unlocking the real me.
I felt wind tearing around me, the wheat stalks grazing my skin, my hair flying. When the light finally subsided enough for me to see, I took a moment to really feel my power. I knew it was there, beneath the surface.
My memories clicked together like puzzle pieces. I didn't know everything, but I knew enough—enough to banish any wavering doubts, and fill in the holes that had been there before.
Valarie—known back then as Adrina—had been my handmaiden. Julian had been one of the recruits in the royal army. And I'd been the heir to the Starlight Throne.
We'd lived in a kingdo, mthe Starlight Kingdom, and my early ascent to the throne was part of a diplomatic counter-attack against the rebellion that had been slowly growing.
But the night before my coronation day, they'd infiltrated the castle, and they'd tried to assassinate me. I'd been left with no other option except to sacrifice myself using a spell and protect the planet. In the process, I'd bought Adrina with me. That was why she was here. But it didn't explain why Julian was here. In fact, it only confirmed that he was up to something shady.
I'd been right to trust my instincts.
Slowly, I looked down at the lantern, only to realise it was gone.
It had become a part of me.
Then, all of a sudden, I heard voices, which jolted me out of my thoughts. Scrambling to my feet and brushing the dirt off of my clothes, I peered through the narrow rows of wheat. My heart plummeted.
A car had pulled up outside of the farmhouse, and Chrissy was getting out of it, along with two people I vaguely recalled from somewhere. They were all dressed in black.
They came for the lantern, I realized. Jason must have tipped them off!
I already had the power inside me, so that wouldn't be a problem. But if they realized who I was, that would make me their target. I was no longer just a shield—I was their weapon.
I had the urge to run, but I knew better. I'd run last time, and I'd gotten caught. No, it was safer to hide in plain sight. Nobody knew what I'd done yet, so I had to keep it that way.
I swallowed my fear and headed for the house.
Eight
When I got to the door, I could already hear arguing. I pried it open and stepped inside. Pressing my back against a wall, I peered into the living room. I could see Jason, Valarie, and Andrew all facing Chrissy and her associates in what seemed like a heated standoff. I didn't know where Ophelia was.
"We don't have what you're looking for!” Andrew insisted.
"Oh, can it,” Chrissy growled at him. She turned to the girl on the left. "Skye, help us out."
The girl, who had dark red hair and pale skin, slunk over to Valarie, who backed away a little. I recognised her from the party—she'd been the one who slapped Valarie on the back before she'd done the lap dance.
Jason's expression hardened as he watched the exchange.
I wanted to run in and stop them, but they still didn't know I was here, and the element of surprise might come in handy.
The girl clamped down on Valarie's shoulder, making her yelp in pain. My heart rate spiked. What was she doing?
"Now… where is it?” Chrissy asked slowly, striding towards her. Valarie whimpered in pain as Skye's claw-like nails pressed into her shoulder. Jason gritted his teeth. Andrew, eyes wide with horror, tried to intervene, but the boy on Chrissy's right grabbed him. The two of them started throwing loud punches at each other.
"It's…” Valarie said through clenched teeth. You could tell she was trying to resist whatever Skye was doing to her.
"Chrissy, cut it out!” Jason snapped angrily. He stepped forward, but Chrissy pushed him back with a single hand, glaring at him.
"Whose side are you on, Jason?” she asked, cocking an eyebrow. "You know this is only temporary. You know what awaits us at the end of this road."
Skye squeezed tighter, and Valarie doubled over in pain. My hand clenched the wall. I had to do something!
"It's in the wheat field,” Valarie confessed, her eyes going blank. Skye let her go and she slumped to the ground.
"No!” Andrew yelled, and the guy shoved him back into the wall, pinning him there with a single hand. Chrissy shoved Jason over to him as well, and the boy reached out to clamp onto Jason's arm. The two boys struggled, but couldn't shift past him.
Chrissy turned back to Valarie.
"Lead us to it,” she said briskly, pulling Valarie up from the floor. Valarie's eyes were glazed over, dull and lifeless. Something clicked—she'd had that same expression at the party, right after she'd done the lap dance. Could she have been under some kind of control back then?
Anger surged through me. Valarie had been convinced it was the alcohol. We all had been! But it had been them all along; they'd orchestrated everything—even the blackmail. And all to try and use me to break the barrier!
Valarie moved like a robot, crossing the room with Chrissy and Skye in tow. She was under their control again. I ducked behind the staircase to avoid being seen, and they exited through the front door.
They didn't know the lantern wa
s gone yet, but it wouldn't be long until they came back looking for answers. I scurried from my hiding place and burst into the living room, where Jason had finally wrestled free, pulled the guy off Andrew, and pinned him to the ground.
The guy thrashed and fought as they tied him down with the sash of a curtain. I moved in to help, the two of them barely noticing me joining them. Against the three of us, he wasn't as strong as before.
As soon as they were done, I pulled Jason around to face me and held him by the collar of his shirt.
"You did this!” I hissed angrily. His eyes went wide with shock and confusion.
"What—"
"You lured them here!” I accused. "We're stuck out here, in the middle of nowhere, and you took this opportunity to lead them straight to us!"
I shoved him into the back of the couch angrily. "I trusted you! And you tried to kill me!"
His brow furrowed in confusion.
"What the hell are you—?"
"Lucy,” Andrew said, pulling me back before I could shove him again. "We don't have time— the lantern!"
"It's safe,” I replied simply. Andrew paused, and then he seemed to notice my clothes. His eyes grew wide as he realized what I'd done.
"You have it?” he asked. I shook my head.
"I am it,” I said. I waited for the words to sink in. I watched how his eyes grew wide with realization, how he stepped back a little. Out of fear? No… respect.
"You’re the princess,” he breathed slowly. "What—what have you done? We have to get out of here! Skye's magic is mind control, and if she finds you she'll make you break the barrier with a single touch."
My blood ran cold. So that was why Valarie had helped them.
"What about Ophelia?” I asked as Andrew urged us toward the door.
"She'll be fine, she went into town,” Jason said darkly, straightening his jacket as he followed us. "I'm not leaving Valarie.” I looked at him in confusion. Why did he care? This was his fault!
"We don't have time to do that. Lucy's a sitting duck,” Andrew insisted. But Jason had a point.
"We can't just leave Valarie!” I protested. Jason might be our enemy, but he was speaking the most sense right now. We couldn't just abandon her!
"I will handle Valarie. Now move!” Andrew insisted, we rushed outside. I glanced over at the wheat field, but didn't see any sign of them. We hurried over to Andrew's car.
"Get in,” he told us, turning to face the wheat field. The idea of being alone in the car with Jason wasn't exactly appealing, but I didn't have time to complain about that.
"What about you?” I asked nervously.
"I'll be fine,” he replied smoothly. "Go!"
He turned away from us. I spotted Chrissy, Skye, and Valarie emerging from the wheat fields, headed straight for us.
The next moments happened so fast, I almost didn't have time to process them. A set of long white wings tore through Andrew's shirt, leaving drabs of fabric everywhere as they expanded and fluttered. Pure white feathers glowed in the sunlight.
Andrew glared over his shoulder at us, and suddenly, a lot of things made sense. How Andrew knew to track the lantern, and why he knew so much about the princess. About me.
I tilted my head and gauged Jason's reaction, but he didn't seem surprised in the slightest. Interesting. I made a mental note of it.
"Go!” Andrew demanded, snapping my focus. I clambered in the passenger seat, and Jason took the wheel. He ignited the engine and we tore through the dirt onto the road, the wheels spitting rocks into the dust.
I watched them fighting in the side mirror, Andrew darting through their attacks and lunging with what looked like a sword until they were just blurs in the distance. I prayed that Valarie would be okay. My heart yearned for her safety.
There was a suffocating silence in the car. I turned to Jason, scowling. He didn't speak either. To be honest, I didn't know what to say. The same guy who was speeding me to safety had once tried to slice my head off, and after all this time, I still didn't know why.
Finally, I couldn't take it anymore.
"If you want to kill me, now might be a good time. At least then they won't have any way of breaking the barrier,” I said bitterly. Jason shook his head at me.
"I don't want to kill you,” he replied dryly.
"Then why did you try? You know none of this would have happened if you hadn't led an army straight to me."
"It's not how you think it is,” he replied stiffly, not sparing me a single glance.
"Then how is it?” I pressed. No really, I was curious. What could make more sense than what I'd seen with my own eyes?
Jason hesitated, gripping the wheel.
"You don't understand,” he said through gritted teeth. "What I've been through just to get here."
"Enlighten me."
He glanced at me, his eyes alive with anger.
"Yes, I tried to kill you,” he confessed. "But that was then. That was before everything that came after. And I've had plenty of time to think about my mistakes. I'm not that person anymore."
"Then how did Chrissy find us?” I asked, not believing his words. "And how is it that you can remember the past, yet not look a day over seventeen?” Jason wasn't a reincarnation like Valarie and I—he couldn't be, because I'd only cast the spell over myself and Adrina. Jason was someone—or something—else entirely.
He wore a pained expression.
"I don't know how she found us,” he said. "And it's too complicated to explain right now. You just have to trust me."
I laughed dryly.
"Trust you? Are you being serious?"
"I am doing everything I can to make this right,” he said through gritted teeth. "And until you learn why the rebellion formed in the first place, there's no point in me trying to explain myself. It won't make sense."
I was silent for a moment before deciding to change the subject.
"If anything happens to Valarie—"
"Nothing is going to happen to her,” Jason said determinedly, his eyes strangely dark. "If anything does, they will have me to answer to. They know that."
I narrowed my eyes at him.
"Why do you care so much about her?"
He shook his head, a single dry laugh escaping his lips. But he didn't answer, which frustrated me even more.
It was a while until we reached town. I kept checking the mirrors, but nobody followed us. I didn't know where we were going until Jason pulled up outside an old, abandoned warehouse. It was guarded by wire fencing and boarded up. Jason parked around the side so that the car was better hidden.
I was hesitant to get out.
"Are you coming?” Jason asked, as he stepped onto the gravelly driveway.
"What is this place?” I asked nervously, slowly opening the car door. It looked like the prime spot to keep someone hostage.
"It's where I used to come to get away from them,” he replied. He stuck his hands into his jacket pockets.
"Them?” I questioned slowly with a frown. "You mean Chrissy and her gang?”
He shifted uncomfortably. "I mean all of them—Chrissy, her brother… Adam as well.”
My eyes widened. "Adam Bauer's one of them?” I breathed, thinking back to how normal he'd seemed at his party. How could any of this be possible?
Jason shook his head.
"He's not, but he helped me get close to Chrissy and Kale originally. They were all friends a couple of years ago, and I was able to infiltrate their friend group through his help.”
I shook my head slowly, trying to make sense of everything. I suddenly felt like I couldn't trust anybody—even Adam, a mere college kid who now lived out of town!
Jason let out a slow, steady breath.
"I'm not going to hurt you. If you come inside, I'll explain everything to you. You have my word."
His word meant about as much to me as a pile of dog droppings. But I didn't have another choice. If I went home, I'd be found in an instant. So I exited the car, then fol
lowed Jason through a hole in the fence, and through a window that had a few planks of wood missing. I had to hoist myself up and dive headfirst into the dusty, dark room, but to my surprise, I landed on an old mattress instead of the hard floor I'd been bracing myself for.
There were some candles and a pack of matches nearby, and Jason wasted no time lighting them. With the orange, flickering flames illuminating our faces, it was a little less daunting to be there with him, though the tension still clung to the air around us. I sat on the edge of the mattress, and he sat on the ground opposite me.
I waited for him to say something. Finally, he gave in.
"What do you know so far?” he asked me with an exhausted sigh. I told him what I knew, and he grimaced. I raised an eyebrow.
"What?” I asked sharply.
"You are so out of the loop,” he muttered. "I'm going to have to go right back to the beginning."
He took a deep breath, like he was preparing for a very long story.
"Back in the ancient times, when you were the princess, I was known as Julian Rancewood. I came from the poor streets of the kingdom. My mother was sick, and we needed money for medicine, but we weren't making enough because she wasn't able to run her market stall. So I started doing deliveries for the nobles, and one day I had to pick up an order from Adrina's sewing shop."
I frowned. "She was a seamstress?” That was so weird—it fit so well with her personality as Valarie.
Jason nodded. "Her mother, Margaret, was the best seamstress in town. Soon after I befriended Adrina, it was announced that Princess Annaliese—you—were having a coronation. I needed money, and they were recruiting soldiers for extra security, so I applied. Margaret got called to the palace to help create the coronation dress, and Adrina went to assist her. So we ran into each other again."
He paused, frowning a little.
"Then I found out about her powers."
My eyes widened, remembering that detail.
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