Cin d'Rella and the Golden Apple : Circle of the Rose Chronicles, Book 2

by S. J. West

  “So you’re telling me that out of a population of almost two million people, there are six of them you consider to be close to you? That’s not a very good ratio, Cin.”

  “The less people you care about, the less of a chance there is to get hurt by them,” I say in defense of my relationship choices. As soon as I say the words, I instantly regret them.

  “I had the same thought after I lost what was left of my family, so I can’t exactly correct you without sounding like a hypocrite. But can I give you some friendly advice?”

  “Sure, but I reserve the right not to take it.”

  Kalder smiles. “Fair enough. I think Prince is good for you. He’s the only one I’ve seen who can make you step out of yourself.”

  “Step out of myself?” I ask, finding that a curious thing for him to say. “What does that mean?”

  “When you’re with him, you lower your walls and act normal. I saw it while the two of you were on my boat, and I saw it this morning at breakfast. If you let him, I think he can bring balance to your life and maybe even happiness.”

  “You sound like one of those advice columnists in the newspaper,” I say.

  Kalder shrugs. “Sometimes they give good suggestions, and that’s all I’m making: a suggestion. You can take it or leave it, but I personally think you should take it.”

  I let Kalder’s words sink in, and I have to admit that I can’t argue against anything he said.

  “It’s a bad time to start a new relationship,” I say.

  “If you wait for the prefect time to come around, you may end up missing the opportunity that’s right in front of you. You’re going to have to take a leap of faith, Cin. That’s the only way it’s going to work.”

  Again, I hate to admit that he’s right, but he is. Even if we’re lucky enough to break the curse, there’s no guarantee that my life will become any easier or less stressful. If Coltan truly wants to be with me, he’ll have to learn to accept who I am and what I’ve chosen to do with my life. And if I’m ever going to become the best version of myself, I have to follow my heart and stay true to who I am.

  Chapter 12

  When we pull into the driveway of my home, I see that Gus has brought the van that we used yesterday to retrieve Coltan and his books. Hopefully Gretel got in touch with him before he left the Guild so he could scrounge up some weapons for us to take.

  As Kalder and I enter the house, we find everyone gathered in the foyer. Gretel seems to be explaining the situation to Gus and Coltan, who are listening intently. Coltan is now wearing a pair of jeans and a black T-shirt from my father’s wardrobe. I can’t say I remember my dad wearing that particular set of clothing, but I’m actually grateful for that fact. When Coltan meets my gaze, his lips spread into a smile that seems to welcome me home. His automatic reaction to my presence makes me feel simultaneously cared for and missed by him. He watches me as I walk over to stand beside Gretel while she finishes explaining our mission.

  “Gus,” I say, “did you or Maximus know that Henry brought Gretel from this other world?”

  “I certainly didn’t know,” Gus says. “However, I can’t speak for Maximus. You’ll have to ask him that question yourself when he wakes up.”

  “That reminds me,” I say. “Marlene asked me to tell you to call her in Maximus’s room at the hospital.”

  Gus raises his eyebrows at me. “Did you tell her I was going on this mission with you?”

  “I had to,” I say apologetically. “She had a right to know where you’re going.”

  “Did she seem upset?”

  “No. Only worried. I promised her I wouldn’t let anything bad happen to you though. That seemed to put her at ease.”

  “Good,” he says with relief. “If I told her that, she would still fret, but since you said it, she might not worry as much.”

  Gus leaves to go to the phone in the kitchen to make his call.

  I look back at Coltan and ask, “Would you mind helping Gretel and Scarlet gather some supplies? I really need to shower before we go. I haven’t had a chance to clean up since yesterday.”

  “Of course,” he says, moving to help out right away.

  I head to my bedroom to shower and change clothes. I decide not to wear my Thorn uniform on our adventure. Instead, I put on the same outfit I wore to Ravenheart Island since it’s waterproof. When I reemerge from my bedroom a little while later, I find that most everything is packed and everyone seems to be ready to go. Gretel has even prepared a backpack for me filled with extra dry rations, a blanket, a flashlight, and a couple bottles of water.

  “Were you able to bring some extra weapons, Gus?” I ask.

  “Was I able to bring some extra weapons?” he repeats as if I shouldn’t have even felt the need to ask such a question. “I brought you the best the Guild has to offer.”

  “Good. I didn’t want to have to sneak into the armory in Shadowspire. Commander Ford would have wanted to know where I was taking the weapons,” I say. “That reminds me of something. I told Marlene I would leave a note here for the commander in case she starts asking about us.”

  “Are you going to tell her everything?” Gretel questions.

  “No,” I reply. “I’ll just write that we went to search for the world Henry visited so we can see for ourselves if he was telling the truth or not. I still don’t feel like she needs to know we’re following Briar Rose’s instructions.”

  Gretel nods. “I think that’s wise. We’re not even sure if the portal is there or if it will open for me.”

  I don’t say it, but my gut tells me that the portal is real and that Gretel is the key to unlocking it. It’s probably been waiting for her to return all these years. I’m grateful Henry found her when he did. Those newly hatched dragons could have torn her apart if he hadn’t rescued her from their nest.

  It only takes me a few minutes to write my letter to Commander Ford because I keep the details short and extremely vague.

  Once we’re ready to leave, we all hop into the van. Gus drives with Kalder as his copilot. The rest of us pile into the back. Thankfully, this time there’s no need for me to sit on Coltan’s lap, but we do sit next to one another.

  Paisley Park is located on the northern end of town and marks the edge of the city’s limit on that side. Before the curse, it used to be a golf course, but the elders chose to plant more trees there because they were needed more than a place for people to swing metal clubs at tiny white balls.

  During the trip, Gretel keeps her eyes downcast and doesn’t say anything to any of us. I can feel her nervousness like it’s my own. Her mind must be in a state of complete chaos. Not only did she discover that the people who raised her aren’t her biological parents, but she also learned that she wasn’t born in Briardale. For all we know, the portal might lead to a totally new planet. We won’t know for sure until we investigate this new realm, and even then, we’ll need to find people who can tell us about the world we’re in.

  “What do you think this place will be like?” Coltan asks me. “Did Isabel’s father describe it at all?”

  “He wasn’t able to see much of it before he fled with Gretel. But he said he was able to map the parts he did see in one of his journals,” I say.

  “I have his journal from that time period,” Gus tells us while he drives. “I do remember seeing a crude map, but there wasn’t much information on it. I’m not sure how useful it’ll be.”

  “It’s better than nothing,” I say as I look at the items Gus brought with him from the Guild.

  You can tell Gus was in a hurry because nothing is bagged up. It looks like he simply threw things in the back of the van and drove off. The first thing I notice is a black belt with two sheathed short swords attached to it. I hand those to Scarlet to go along with her personal crossbow. For Gretel, I choose one of the long swords in case she gets into a fight where her battle batons aren’t quite enough. I hand Coltan one of the long swords and give Kalder the other. I also equip each of the men with
a machete in case we need them. For myself, I choose a wooden staff.

  “What is our main objective on this trip?” Coltan asks me. “To find the golden apple or to find Briar Rose’s sister?”

  “Finding her sister takes top priority,” I say. “We need whatever piece she’s holding to forge the weapon to fight Suri. If we happen to find the golden apple too, then maybe we can use it to learn the location of the third sister and the third piece we need to complete the weapon.”

  “Do you know what kind of weapon it’ll be?” he asks.

  I shrug my shoulders. “I have absolutely no idea, but I’m sure there’s a way to figure it out. Otherwise, Briar Rose never would have started me on this quest.”

  “Have you figured out how she’s able to speak to you?” Coltan asks.

  “Apparently it’s something called astral projection,” I tell him and everyone else because they are all listening to our conversation. “What I’m actually seeing is the energy of her soul. My mind interprets it as her in a physical form, at least that’s how it was explained to me.”

  “Why does she only appear to you?” Scarlet asks. “She could have come to any of us.”

  “I guess I’m the lucky one,” I say with downcast eyes, unable to hide the fact that I don’t feel all that fortunate to have Briar Rose and her sisters invading my mind whenever they feel like it. It’s disconcerting to know both the conscious and unconscious part of my mind is at their mercy. It doesn’t seem fair that they can visit me on a whim and I can’t communicate with them when I need to.

  “We’re here!” Gus announces as he parks the van on the side of the road near the woods that make up Paisley Park.

  Once we’re out of the van, Gus locks it up and we make our way through the dense forest.

  “Where is this portal supposed to be?” Coltan asks me as we bring up the rear. He pushes a low-hanging branch out of our way as we walk side by side.

  “Henry said it would be near the north end of the pond in the park,” I tell him.

  “And what if this portal doesn’t open up?” Coltan asks. “What’s the next step?”

  “My gut tells me that this will work, and it’s rarely ever wrong.”

  “Really?” he says. His eyes light up as he looks at me. “What does your gut tell you about me?”

  I really should have seen that question coming, but I didn’t, and it catches me off guard.

  “Uh, well,” I say as I stall for time. I glance over at Coltan and see him grinning at me from ear to ear. “What? Why are you smiling at me like that?”

  “If I told you, you might think I’m a terrible person,” he admits.

  “Try me,” I dare him.

  “Normally, you’re extremely in control of yourself and seem to be able to handle even the most unexpected situations, like the supernova yesterday. I can’t help but find it amusing that you get flustered whenever I ask you a question about your feelings for me. Your reaction tells me more than your words do sometimes.”

  “Then I don’t have to answer your question if my reaction answered it for you,” I say, feeling somewhat peeved. As soon as I say the words, I immediately regret my tone of voice. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to snap at you.”

  “It’s all right,” he replies. “I take it that you’re not used to talking about your feelings with others. I get that. Like I told you earlier, I’m in no rush, Cin. I’m not going anywhere, and we can go as slow as you want to.”

  When we reach the pond, Gretel halts, which makes the rest of us do the same since she was in the lead.

  “Excuse me,” I say to Coltan as I walk up to the front to be with Gretel and Scarlet.

  “Are you all right?” I ask Gretel. Her troubled expression tells me that she’s having second thoughts about finding the portal now that we’re here.

  “I don’t know if I can do this, Cin,” she says in a whisper, looking nervous. “I don’t know if I’m ready to face whatever is over there waiting for me.”

  I reach out and grab one of Gretel’s hands, hoping to lend her some of my strength as she tackles something that will more than likely change her life forever. Scarlet takes her other hand as if she’s having the same thoughts as me. For years we’ve had each other’s backs, and this moment isn’t any different.

  “You’re not facing this alone,” I reassure her. “We’ll be by your side no matter what we find there.”

  Gretel takes a deep breath and squeezes our hands tightly. Without saying a word, she moves forward again, guiding us around the south side of the pond to the northern end. Gretel suddenly stops walking, causing both Scarlet and me to also stop in our tracks.

  “We’re getting close,” she tells us. Her face is scrunched in concentration. “I can feel it.”

  “What are you feeling?” I ask.

  “A pull,” she replies. “It’s like it’s alive and urging me to get closer to it.”

  “Do you feel any danger?” I ask, ready to pull the plug on this mission if she does.

  “No,” she says as all of her earlier worry and confusion seems to melt away. “I feel warmth. It’s welcoming me home.”

  Gretel lets go of our hands and strides forward on her own with a newfound strength. As if the portal is visible to her, she stretches out an arm and places the palm of her hand on some unseen object right in front of her. Her touch ignites a flash of light that forces me to shield my eyes with a bent arm. After it dims, I lower my arm and see Gretel standing in front of an oval of blue shimmering light that reaches from the ground to right above her head.

  Gretel looks over her shoulder at us. The light from the portal behind her creates a blue halo around her body.

  “Follow me,” she says before stepping into the light and disappearing from our sight.

  “Let’s go,” I tell the others. I race over to follow her footsteps because I don’t know what she’s encountered on the other side of the portal or how long it will remain open on this side without her here.

  If we had taken the time to formulate a plan, I might have second-guessed walking straight into an unknown world, but I don’t have time to reconsider our options because Gretel has chosen our course of action.

  As soon as I step foot on the other side of the portal, I feel solid ground underneath my feet. Precisely like Henry described earlier, we enter a wooded area that’s overgrown with vegetation. From the dimly lit sky overhead, it’s obvious that nightfall is fast approaching, which might end up hampering our plans to follow Henry’s map to locate the spot where he found Gretel.

  After everyone has stepped through the portal, I grab Henry’s journal from my backpack and open it up to his crudely drawn map of the area. There are only a few landmarks that look helpful. The portal itself is one of them with one long arrow pointing straight out from it with the distance of two miles written beside it. Apparently, if we head this way, it should take us straight to the dirt road he mentioned earlier.

  “Did anyone else think it would feel different here?” Kalder asks as he scopes out the area.

  “In what way?” I ask him as I heft my backpack over my right shoulder.

  “I don’t know,” he says as he continues to look at the woods and sky. “Just . . . different. I don’t feel like we’ve left our world. Do you?”

  “Well, it’s definitely not Briardale,” Coltan says. “We don’t have these types of trees there, and the time of day is different here. Back home it’s midafternoon. Here it’s twilight.”

  “Which is why we should head out,” I tell them all. “Let’s try to get as far as we can before darkness falls. I would rather find a place to camp while we still have some natural light to travel by.”

  “It’s going to be slow going,” Kalder says as he surveys the dense plant life surrounding us in every direction. “We’ll need to cut our way through this undergrowth to get anywhere. Which way does the map say we should head?”

  I point straight out from the entrance of the portal, which hasn’t closed yet. I assu
me it will disappear when we move away from it.

  Coltan and Kalder take the lead with the two machetes I gave them and hack a path for us through the forest.

  “Do you feel any different being here?” I ask Gretel.

  She shakes her head. “Not really. I feel as comfortable here as I do in Briardale.”

  “I don’t feel comfortable here at all,” Scarlet admits.

  “Neither do I.” While we traverse the thick forest, I keep a close watch on our surroundings. “I feel like something is going to jump out at us at any moment.”

  “Like seven full-grown dragons,” Scarlet agrees.

  “I’m sure they’ve moved on by now,” Gretel says without a drop of fear in her voice, even though I do catch her looking up into the sky as if she’s searching for signs of the dragons that almost ate her as a baby.

  It takes a good thirty minutes of Coltan and Kalder chopping through the forest before we come to the dirt path Henry discovered.

  “Finally,” Kalder complains as he rolls his shoulder to take away some of the stiffness. “My arm was beginning to cramp.”

  We all look up and down the path, searching for something of interest but finding nothing except for more forest on either side of the road.

  “Which way do we head from here?” Coltan asks.

  “To the left,” I tell him as we all turn in that direction.

  “Do you think it’s wise for us to go in the same direction Henry went?” Gretel asks me. “We know what he found that way. Maybe we should try the opposite direction instead of heading toward a den of baby-eating dragons.”

  “She does have a point, Cin,” Scarlet says. “I say we go right instead and see where it takes us. Maybe we’ll run into some people instead of going deeper into the woods.”

  “I’m fine with that,” I say as I pull my pack around to fetch a pencil out of one of its side pockets. “We can expand this map, so we can find our way back to the portal.”

  “I have an idea!” Gus says excitedly as he unzips one of the many zippers on his pants. We watch in fascination as he pulls out a thin red scarf. He walks over to a nearby tree and ties it around its skinny trunk. “There. That way we’ll have a marker to find this spot more easily on our way back.”