by Dean Murray
It was a long shot. It was probably a really stupid plan. But, after seeing Aidan on that beach, after my reactions to him in heart, mind, and soul, I had to try. I just had to.
I called Micah. He answered on the first ring.
“I need to see you,” I said. “Soon.”
“That is fantastic, Amelia. We need to talk. I want to explain.” He sounded way more relieved than I wanted him to. I was still burned by his lies, but I wanted to believe he was a good guy. I had to. For this plan to work, I needed his help.
“Where are you?” I asked.
“I’m at Esmerelda’s, but—”
“Micah, I need your help,” I interrupted. “I need you to help me convince your mother that I need time. That she needs to honor the terms of the betrothal. I’m coming to you. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”
He tried to say something but I was already losing my nerve so I hung up. We’d figure it out when I got there.
I was in the parking lot in ten minutes. Bethany sat next to me and, for the fifth time, asked if I was sure that she shouldn’t come in.
“B, thank you. I really appreciate the offer, but I need to do this on my own,” I said. “I need to talk to Micah and figure out what to do. Honestly, I’m not even sure exactly what I’m walking into here. I don’t want you to get hurt again.”
“Okay, girl, but I’m waiting right here. I’m not moving this Jeep until you’re sitting next to me again. And, you make sure he knows that this is going to take a hell of a lot of making up.” We laughed together. It was strained, both of us obviously scared, but it was welcome.
I blew out a breath and shook the tremble out of my hands. “Here I go. I’ll be back out in no time. Don’t you worry. It’s just Micah.” She nodded, looking past me to the bleak exterior of Esmerelda’s. “I know, girl. This place just creeps me out,” she said grimly.
I reached over, gave her a quick hug, and then jumped down out of the Jeep. As I mounted the steps and walked through the doors of Esmerelda’s, my inner alarm bells went crazy. You’re just nervous. Calm down, I reprimanded myself and approached the host stand. The same small, pinched-face woman stood at the desk, glancing at me with complete disinterest.
“Yes?” she asked in an annoyingly clipped tone.
“I’m here to see Micah…um, Prince Mikail, he’s expecting me. Please take me to him.” She didn’t respond, instead she picked up the phone and queried the person on the other end. With a surprising smile, she nodded and led me to an elevator.
She rode down with me, saying nothing until the doors opened again. “Follow the hallway. Third set of doors on your right.” I was struggling to maintain my power, feeling her agitated and antsy in the back of my mind. I had already had about ten mental conversations where I tried to explain why she had to stay quiet. To stay hidden. It was a strange thing, talking to yourself, but the more I embraced the fact that the Keeper power was its own being within me, the easier things seemed to go.
I wasn’t sure exactly how to enter, so instead of knocking, I decided to make a statement and just open the door myself. I was shocked at how light the large wooden doors were, it flew open and slammed against the wall, making a loud thud. I shocked myself with the sound, thinking the door was going to be much heavier. Once I had gotten my bearings and turned back to the room in front of me, I found myself staring directly into the eyes of Queen Julia. Well, her and about twenty Hunters who seemed only too happy to display their bouncing balls of crackling orange magic and wicked stares.
It took me a second to absorb the scene. The queen was sitting on a large throne. Next to her was a smaller ornate chair that Micah held. I refused to show them my fear, so I straightened my posture and strode into the room as if the eyes and magic that followed me didn’t exist. I imagined the pressure of Aidan’s hand against my lower back, giving me the feeling of safety I’d never known until him. Aidan was the reason I was here. Even though this wasn’t the meeting I had signed up for, it was what I had to do.
The Hunters had started out in a single group in front of Queen Julia and Micah, but they separated into two groups and allowed me to walk through their ranks. I stopped about ten feet from the upraised platform that held their chairs and met Micah’s eyes. I could see the apologies already. This was absolutely not going to go well.
I urged my own power to slowly creep through me; building and rising to the surface, while reminding her to stay silent but ready. I looked straight into Micah’s eyes and sent a very clear thought his way: Traitor.
He winced. That brought me a small smile.
As I shifted my focus back to the queen, I couldn’t believe how much Micah resembled her. Julia had thick, blond hair that was tied back severely at her nape. Her crown dripped with diamonds and her dress was black lace over black silk. I expected her to be older, but her skin was porcelain and she looked beautiful. Her features were softer than Micah’s and it wasn’t until I reached her eyes that I truly saw the difference. This woman was pure evil. Her eyes were cold and empty.
I was staggering under the weight of her stare when the queen finally spoke. “So, the Keeper has finally come home. You didn’t tell me she was also beautiful, son. It may not be so terrible to have this one on your arm. Though, we will have a discussion later on how exactly it is you came to know each other.” Julia quirked a thin, angular eyebrow at Micah and I watched him shrink in his seat. Apparently it was intentioned by both of our parents that we not be exposed to each other.
I couldn’t stop my visible, shocked response and the words came tumbling from my mouth. “Um. Excuse me? First, I’m right here and my name is Amelia. Second, the whole reason I’m here is because there were terms to this betrothal. Terms you have to honor. I thought I was going to be having a conversation with Micah, who has clearly been keeping us all in the dark, but I suppose since you’re here, we can all just do this together.”
Somehow, the queen’s stare actually became frostier and the smirk she’d held flattened. Her words were quiet but her barbs were sharp. “Have you no respect, little girl? How dare you address me and my son so casually? Though, your father hasn't been himself in years and I suppose you didn’t have your mother to instill in you proper respect for the crown, did you, dear?”
I immediately opened my mouth to respond when Micah jumped in and cut me off. “Mother, please. That’s not necessary. Amelia is to be my wife. You need not poke at her immediately. You know she grew up in a remote area. We need to acclimate her to the court — to our ways.”
I could hear Micah in my head as he spoke to his mother.
Amelia, you must watch yourself. I don’t know what you think you’re doing here, but you can’t do it like this.
I wanted to talk to you, you know, like friends. But, it’s clear you have your own agenda.
With that, I slammed the door closed on our connection and saw a second wince that again brought me a measure of pleasure. There was no way I was allowing that jerk in my head now.
“That is a fair point, son. Exactly what is it you would like to discuss, child?” She was patronizing me, but it gave me an opening to speak. This time, I tried to formulate my sentences in my head before I just let them spew from my mouth.
“Thank you, your…highness.” I had no idea what the proper terminology was. “It’s clear to me that Mi — Prince Mikail and I were not supposed to know each other yet. But, we do, and that’s okay. I just want to confirm that you will abide by the terms set by the betrothal you demanded. I will have until I’m twenty-one. Those were the terms and I believe they should hold true.”
I tried my best to sound confident in my words but deferential in my tone. I thought I might have succeeded as Julia sat and tapped her long red nails on the armrest of her throne. Then, she spoke.
“You have come into my court, interrupted my day, insulted my son, and believe you can tell me what I will and will not do?” The queen somehow sat even straighter in her chair, pointing her finger at me w
hile her shrill voice grew louder. “Do you expect me to believe that after everything I know of your mother and her devious ways, that her little plan didn’t succeed? That the prophecy I have spent years waiting for is a lie? Do you honestly think you can tell a queen what rules she will abide by?”
“No. No…um, your highness.” I had to back pedal, quickly. “I didn’t say anything about the prophecy. I don’t even understand the prophecy. I just want the time that was promised to me.” I didn’t have to lie, the prophecy made zero sense to me.
Her eyes narrowed as they blazed red. “I believe there is more to you than it seems, Amelia. And, from what I understand, you just need a little incentive.” The bitterness in her voice sent fear racing through me. I looked to Micah and he wouldn’t meet my gaze. Cursing myself, I realized that I was stupid. This was stupid. I wasn’t going anywhere. I was just lucky I was more valuable alive than dead.
Chapter 25
Julia stepped down from her chair and walked toward me, gliding across the floor silently. It took all of my willpower to not step back, but I refused to show her weakness. She looked over my head and nodded. As I turned to look around, someone pinned my arms. I was struggling against the unknown Hunters, still trying to control the raging Keeper power inside of me, when fingers gripped my chin and I found myself eye to eye with the queen. The look in her eyes stopped me from doing anything. I could barely breathe as I watched red creep into her irises, like blood spreading across an ice cube. From inches away, she said, “You know nothing, you say? Are you quite sure of that, little one?”
She didn’t even give me a chance to respond before she pulled my face all the way to the right and I almost fainted as I saw Bethany unconscious in Rhi’s arms. I wanted to look at Micah, but Julia wouldn’t allow me to move. She held my face, the pads of her fingers burning my skin while she forced me to stare at the limp body of my best friend held in the arms of my mother’s murderer. There was nothing random about this. Realizing, slowly, that Micah had been a part of all of this, a whole new fire came alive in me. As the queen brought my face back to hers, she saw it, too.
“You didn’t tell me she had violet eyes, Mikail. My, my, you are just the picture of your mother. I’ve never known anyone else to have those particular violet eyes. You are quite the prize, indeed.” I opened my mouth to argue, to tell her off, to finally take a stand, and instead found her finger across my lips.
I gritted my teeth and bit the inside of my cheek as she continued to speak, my control waning and anger spiraling. “You see her? She is just a fragile little human. Do you see? LOOK AT HER!”
I had refused to keep staring at Bethany’s slack form, but Julia turned my face back to her and held it until I opened my eyes.
She laughed. “This is my court. My kingdom. I make the rules here. If you want her to live, to go back to her happy little human life, then you’ll tell me the truth. Do you have the Keeper power? Are you coming for me?”
With every ounce of pain, hatred, and anger I had, I removed all barriers from the Keeper magic that sat ready and waiting, and let her do her worst.
“YES!” I screamed, the single word echoing from every inch of the cavernous room as the queen and her Hunters were blasted away from me. No one saw it coming and I took the moment to my advantage. I dove for Bethany, hoping I could do some kind of damage to Rhi to free her from his arms. The balls of electric energy pulsed around my hands as I ran to him. Rhi hadn’t moved, though a slow smile crept over his face. “Your little Keeper is no match for me, girl. Your mother should have known that.” I wanted to end him for so many reasons, but he was holding Bethany.
“Give her to me. She doesn’t need to be a part of this. You don’t want to fight me,” I warned him. I looked around and saw the Hunters closing ranks. Julia had righted herself and Micah still hadn’t moved from his chair. His face paled further while his eyes never left Bethany. What a coward.
Rhi laughed at the same moment the other Hunters converged on me. I pushed outward with everything I had, at the same moment calling on the elements that had aided me at the theater. Blow them over. The wind storm that erupted split the ranks of Hunters and slammed them against the walls. I blasted at them as well, sending them flying into heaps. I kept moving toward Rhi. He stood staring at me, looking pleasantly surprised by my show of ability. He still held the prize though, and we both knew it. I kept blasting and pushing, and only when I got within feet of them, did the queen join the party again.
“THAT’S IT!” she screeched. Then, I was floating ten feet up in the air and couldn’t breathe. I was gasping for air and clawing at my throat, trying to pull in oxygen from somewhere. There was nothing.
“I AM THE QUEEN. YOU WILL DO AS I COMMAND. YOU ARE NOTHING TO ME. I OWN YOU.” Her words reverberated off of the stone walls and the Hunters had to steady themselves against the shifting ground. I would have been more scared if I wasn’t so concerned with breathing.
“Mother!” I finally heard Micah yell. “She can’t help us if she’s dead. Mother, stop! Let me deal with her.”
With a wave of her hand, I dropped to the ground in a heap and could do nothing but gasp in huge breaths of air. “You do that, Mikail,” she snapped. “I expect to see a marked improvement the next time we meet.”
I could barely focus on Julia as she strode out of the room, followed by the majority of the Hunters and Rhi who was still holding Bethany. I couldn’t begin to think about moving and I soon felt myself being pulled into someone’s arms. I immediately started to struggle until Micah spoke, “Amelia. It’s me. Let me help you.”
I wasn’t able to do anything more than collapse into Micah’s arms as I lost consciousness. The last thought I had was I’m sorry, but I couldn’t decide whom exactly the apology was meant for.
I awoke with a start and darted up. It was dark in the room with only a small lamp on in the corner. It took me a moment to realize what had happened and where I was. Actually, I had no idea where I was, outside of sitting in the middle of an ornately-decorated four-poster bed. I saw Micah slumped in the chair across from me and was sad to realize it hadn’t been another of my nightmares.
I slowly laid back down and dropped my arm over my face. What had I been thinking? How could I have possibly thought it would be logical to believe I could just walk in and convince a power-hungry tormentor to just let me go have my happily-ever-after? Idiot.
Cole would have never let me do this. Oh, no. Cole. My next thought sent fear to my core. Bethany. I shot back up.
“Bethany! Where’s Bethany?!” I tried to scream but my voice was still hoarse so it came out a garbled whisper.
Micah came awake with grunt. “What? What?” He rubbed his eyes as I tried to yell again. “Micah, where is she? Where is Bethany?”
“She’s next door. I can’t believe you brought her here. I can’t believe you endangered her like this. What in the hell were you thinking?” He stood over me now, fully awake and yelling. I chucked back the covers and scrambled to my feet. “Don’t you dare make this my fault, Prince Mikail. I told you I was coming and you let me walk into this ambush blind. How could you do this? How could you let your mother use her?”
“Me? ME? Did you actually think you could walk in here and convince my mother to just let you walk away and come back in three years? Have you lost your mind, Amelia? Her Hunter has been in your father’s head your whole life. She knows exactly what you are.” I started to explain about Aidan but realized that probably wasn’t information Micah needed at this point.
I crossed my arms over my now rumpled dress and glared at him. “You are the liar,” I hissed. “You are the one who played us all for a fool. You are going to break Bethany’s heart and I will never trust you again. Why are you even here? Get out. Just, GET OUT!”
“You don’t understand, Amelia. I was trying to help you.”
“I understand everything I need to, Prince. Get out.” This time the words were measured and cold.
I sat do
wn on the bed and stared at the wall. I refused to acknowledge him. It was childish, but it wasn’t like I could be the one who left. Finally, Micah left the room with a slam of the door. I ran to it once I heard his footsteps go down the hall. As I expected, it was locked.
I decided there was no way I was hanging around for whatever they had in mind. I tried to build up my magic so I could blast my way out, but there was nothing. I searched and searched, but I couldn’t find one shred of power anywhere in my body.
I did everything I’ve done my whole life. I searched myself for the familiar tingle and hum, it was gone. I started to panic. I had never been without my power. Even when I didn’t know how to use it or was suppressing it, I always knew it was there.
I started beating on the door and yelling for Micah, or Prince Mikail, or anybody. Over and over, I yelled and pounded. Finally, I gave up and fell down onto the bed. I wanted to cry. The tears were there to be had, I just couldn’t. Micah was right on one count. I had walked myself and Bethany right into this disaster with my naivety. I couldn’t expect anyone else to get me out of it.
I laid there for what had to be hours, staring at the ceiling. I thought about all the ways I could kill Julia. Maim Micah. I thought about Bethany and wondered if she was scared. If they were feeding her. I thought about Cole and how worried he would be once he knew we were gone.