A soft blue-white glow emits from her enclosed fist, and the men that stand before us watch her nervously. They must already know that a potential disaster awaits this airport if one of them even blinks wrong.
“Miss,” says the leader of the Men in Black. “I know that you are afraid. You don’t want to hurt anyone. We just want to talk.”
More humans begin to stop what they are doing to see how this scene will unfold. Phones are up, recording the stand-off as the tension increases. I have to do something. Thankfully, I have a few tricks up my sleeve that should buy us enough time to get us on that plane and avoid another run in from the Feds. Reaching for Destiny’s hand, she flinches the instant our palms connect. I appreciate how she reads me and says nothing as I begin to channel some of her power into me. It has been twenty long years since I have been able to do this.
I send a mental shockwave throughout the perimeter, intercepting the communication lines.
“The fuck? My phone just went dead!” A man cries out from the background.
Pandemonium is on the brink of release as more of the pesky humans realize that their phones are dead.
With all eyes still focused on us, I release Destiny’s hand, and wave my palm in front of me. Dark energy slowly oozes from my hands in a slow rhythmic dance, wrapping itself around the Feds, and the nosy humans that looked on curiously. Screams of panic fill the airwaves, but I maintain my cool. I feel like a snake charmer, seducing each and every one of my victims with a hypnotic dosage of darkness that will leave them not only in a slight trance, but with cursed memories. Every time one of them attempts to recall this moment, a nightmare appears as its replacement. Courtesy of a Cursed.
With the Feds stunned and still remaining in place, expressions as blank as a canvas, I grab Destiny’s hand and lead her and Summer to the terminal where we are scheduled to board. Alarms echo overhead and the heavy sounds of footsteps from the airport security close in. But just as quickly as they arrive, power is restored, and the mass of humans that looked on while we faced off with the band of bandits blinked several times as the spell began to dissipate.
With Destiny, Summer and myself safely seated at the gate amongst a small family of four and a few scattered elderly couples, relieved is hardly the word to describe the feeling. I look over at Destiny who has her arms wrapped around her child. Both of them look about as exhausted as I feel.
“What were you planning on doing back there?” I ask Destiny curiously. Her palms are back to normal, but she looks drained.
“Just something I recently discovered I could do that would have bought us some time,” she says casually, looking at the clock above.
Now I am really curious. I lean in closer, “And what was that.”
She looks at me and grins. “You will see.”
The moment she turns her head to rest her cheek on top of her daughter’s head, I realize how much I wish she would never take her eyes off of me.
****
Damn near two hours later we are still waiting to be called to board the plane, and I do not know who is more anxious, me or Destiny. Mercurians are somewhere in the airport. I sense their presence lurking about, undoubtedly searching for me and Destiny. We managed to maintain a low profile, even when Destiny took Summer to the food court for a burger. For two hours I lost myself in my thoughts. Queen Karrine will be at a serious disadvantage the moment Destiny’s feet touch Mercurian soil. She grows stronger every day, but will she be strong enough to hold up against a possible army? Kara still waits for me, held captive as Karrine’s prisoner. I swore two decades ago in exchange for Kara’s freedom, I would hand over the heir and walk away and never look back. Kara and I would have lived among the humans as I’ve been doing, abandoning the only place either one of us called home forever.
Guilt tears away at what little emotion I have left.
Things are different. Kara’s freedom is still at the top of my list, however as I watch Destiny approach with a tray of oversized cheeseburgers and a big victorious smile, there is no way I can simply hand her and her child over to Karrine’s evil ass. We are just going to have to come up with something. I help her by accepting the tray so that she could sit down and pass Summer her drink. She removes a small burger with fries and hands them to Summer who greedily accepts. She even hands me a supersized bacon burger to my surprise.
“You didn’t have to,” I tell her after taking a huge bite. “But thank you.”
She takes a single fry and dips it into the ketchup cup. “No problem. Figured you might be hungry.”
“You know in Mercuria,” I begin in between chews. “There is nothing as good as a burger.”
She smiles. “Really?”
“Seriously. The first time I ate a burger, it was at this little place in New York called Fat Joes. Loved it.”
“I bet.” She takes a bite of her own burger and sighs. “Man I’m starving.”
I finish off my food in less than five minutes to Destiny’s disbelief.
“Dang Erick,” she chuckles. “Are you going to eat the tray too?”
“Ha ha, very funny,” I say offering a half-hearted grin. “I’m stuffed.”
“You should be!”
“Whatever.”
Just as she takes the last bite of what her stomach will allow her to consume, we hear the announcement for our plane preparing to board. Fate has clearly worked in our favor and in less than a day, I will be able to hone in on the site needed to gain access to Mercuria. I have no idea what we will do once our feet touch Mercurian soil, but just as our line number is called for us to begin the process of boarding, the familiar hateful stare of none other than Agatha herself appears behind us.
Son of a bitch. How the fuck did she find us?
The tip of something sharp presses into my spine as she leans into me whispering, “Do not move Erick.”
Within minutes the rest of the psycho’s crew approaches, all eyes on me. Destiny’s fear taints the air like wet paint. She removes a glowing palm from her jacket pocket but is quickly stopped short by the bastard with the dreads when he says,
“Keep your hands to yourself and he lives. Looks like all of us will be boarding this flight.”
Chapter Twenty- Tw o
Karrine
It felt good to siphon the life essence out of the Pyro that dared attempt to set the palace ablaze with his magic. His magic burned right through her, eating away through her bloodstream, yet simultaneously strengthening what was left of her own powers. She decided to make an example out of him, and as his screams echoed throughout the kingdom, she knew he would be the first of many. The hundreds of spectators looked on as his beautiful golden skin turned ashen, his bright blue eyes pleading to them for help. She sucked in his final breath, taking in his life energy, leaving her feeling somewhat intoxicated.
She was literally drunk on life.
Tension had brewed in the kingdom for days and Karrine knew it would be a matter of time before something snapped. Her guards reported secret meetings, many of which resulted in public executions like this one. But this Mercurian was very brazen. Bold. Defiant until the very end. The instant his limp body collapsed onto the pavement, she knew there would be more like him coming for her.
Even those like her who had once been cast out would come.
“For those who dare to defy me,” Karrine spoke out into the crowd. “This is only the beginning of my wrath. I understand that you are worried about your magic, that you are worried about what would happen should Darkness fall upon this kingdom. But I will have you know that I am working on ensuring that our magic, the very life of this kingdom does not leave us!”
Hundreds of pairs of eyes looked back at her, most of them filled with hatred. She remembered looking at Mercury that way during the many moments he stood above the kingdom to address his citizens. Only the Mercurians who thrived during his reign recognized him as their protector and great leader. But those forced to feed from the crumbs left behind by members of
the ruling class, shared her contempt. And since her rule as Queen, the last became first and the first became the bottom feeders that members of her kind once were.
“You took our magic away when you murdered Mercury!” Someone shouted from the crowd. The gathering erupted with chaos. Several Mercurians rose up from beneath the platform on which she stood, summoning their magic. Karrine’s guards quickly surrounded her, shielding her just in time before a streak of electricity hit her chest. The guard went down instantly. Another Mercurian approached from the side, his eyes wild with rage, kneeled before her and slammed his fist onto the wooded platform. The slow rumble of the earth moving forced Karrine’s guards to usher her off the platform. She knew that even the palace would soon be unsafe now that the uprising began.
“We must go to the far end of the Kingdom,” said her most faithful guard, Draxar. “They will not find us there.”
Her guards ushered her into the Palace, sealing away all entrances and exit points. She summoned one of her mages to surround the Palace with a barrier, at least temporarily. Her guards were still out in the human world searching for that heir. But should they prove themselves incapable, Karrine knew that she would have no other choice but to retrieve her, herself.
****
Destiny
I could stop time again, but I am not sure how long it will hold to give us an escape. These Mercurians – whoever they are have become much more than a nuisance.
“Please don’t kill him,” I whisper.
“That is not your call to make,” the one with the locs grumbled.
I look at my daughter, whose hands are gripping my arm so tight that her nails dig deep into my skin. They want me for the same reason as Erick. They need my magic.
“What do you want to do with me?” I ask finally, ignoring Erick’s worried gaze.
“We do not wish to harm you,” said the woman who identified herself as Cecilia. “We need your help.”
“Stalking me is not exactly the best way to get it,” I grumble. “And threatening my friends obviously doesn’t help either.”
“Flight 1507 now boarding for New York,” the announcer called through the speaker. “Now boarding group four.”
“We are not stalking you,” the blonde hissed. “We have a mission to accomplish and that is to bring you to Mercuria safe.”
“And then what? What about my daughter?” I seethe through clenched teeth. “You people think you can just show up at my door and strip away everything that I know and love for a world I know nothing about!”
“We will protect you and your daughter,” Cecilia promised. “I promise we mean you no harm.”
“We can also shield you from the humans who hunt you,” said Mr. Dreadlocks. “Regardless of how you feel or what you think right now, you need our help just like we need yours. How long did you think you would be able to live as a normal human? Hmmm? As if your life had ever really been normal.”
My mind drifts back to my younger years. The headaches, the episodes of a pain so great I would pass out or find myself hooked up to IV’s in a hospital, with a team of doctors running every test imaginable on me. And then this last episode…I think back to how Erick suddenly appeared, offering his help out of the blue. We worked at the same place for well over a year, muttering nothing more than a few pleasantries here and there, and me ogling him from a distance.
And look at us: a knife is being pressed to his spine and I am being blackmailed into tagging along with a group of assassins in order to save a world I barely discovered existed.
“I will go with you if you let him go,” I say. Summer looks at me and shakes her head no.
I could stop time. I really could.
“As tempting as that offer is,” Blondie tells me. “I can’t just let him go.”
“Why? What has he done to you other than be what he was born to be,” I argue? “Sounds like you Mercurians suffer from a serious case of prejudice.”
“You have no idea what he is capable of,” Blondie adds. “He is a threat to Mercurians and humans-”
“Isn’t your queen a threat to Mercurians and possibly humans?” I challenged, stepping forward. “If he wanted to harm me, he would have. He did not.”
“He would exchange your life for-”
“His wife’s. I know. He told me everything,” I say firmly.
Now it’s their turn to be quiet. Dreadlocks is the first to speak. “Let him go,” he orders Blondie.
“Destiny! Don’t…” Erick pleads. “I told you I would keep you safe.”
“Erick, Mercuria needs me,” I tell him, looking into his eyes. “That’s why you came for me in the first place. And maybe…” I sucked in a deep breath then continued, “maybe I can find Kara and help her, too. When I do, I will tell her where to come find you.”
He stares at me blankly as Blondie shoves him away with a hard push.
“Flight 1507, last call for boarding…” the announcer’s voice booms through the speakers.
“Are we going to board?” I ask Dreadlocks, grabbing me and Summer’s things. “Or is there another way into Mercuria?”
“We have another way,” Cecilia says. “Come. Let’s go. We are starting to draw attention.”
“Stay here,” Blondie growls at Erick. “If you follow us, I will not hesitate to kill you.”
I take Summer’s hand and follow behind Cecilia through the terminal.
“I just want to go home mommy,” Summer whispers to me. “I’m scared.”
“Me too,” I whisper back. “But you forget, mommy is powerful now. Just trust me.”
She nods weakly and doesn’t say anything. She just keeps her eyes focused ahead of her.
“Destiny!” Erick calls out to me. Hearing him call my name hits me with a pang of sadness. How I wish things could have been different. I don’t turn around as he says my name again. What Erick needs to do is board that flight, get to that portal and meet me in Mercuria.
“Destiny!”
I stop mid-step and turn to face him. His eyes are pleading with me, begging me not to go. I mouth the words, “Get on the plane,” and a for a second he pauses.
And then he nods.
I turn away and try not to think about the way our eyes met, or the sudden skip in the way my heart beat against my chest. Erick gets to walk away with his life, and for now that is all that matters. I will figure out a way for me and Summer to get through this.
Chapter Twenty -Three
Erick
Destiny leaves me no other choice but to board the plane. Watching her walk away with the very Loyalists, the same royals from the houses that discriminated and tormented those of us with Dark Magic, made my blood simmer and boil. With my power, I could have ended the lives of maybe three of them before I met my own end. But what good would that have done? Destiny would have never trusted me again. She would be on the run with her daughter, hunted by her own government, a legacy that would follow Summer all the days of her life too.
She didn’t look back.
I know those Royals want to position her on the throne so that things could go back to the way things were before Mercury died. They would teach her, train her in their thoughts and ways so that she would grow to hate me too. I look at my ticket. I still can get to Mercuria and stop whatever plans they have for Destiny. They have no idea what they are up against when it comes to Karrine. Karrine is more than just a skilled fighter and strong Drainer. It is going to take more than just Destiny’s power to put an end to Karrine’s reign.
Quickly, I follow behind who was supposed to be the last passenger to board the flight. The attendant smiles at me, flashing a set of gorgeous white teeth encased in protective metal. What are they called? Braces, I believe. She scans my ticket and I’m off into the tunnel, and on the plane looking for window seat A23. That was supposed to be where Summer sat. For the next six hours, I sit alone, watching the clouds take form above ground, lost in my thoughts.
“Kara, I give you my word that I wi
ll find a way to set you free.” Staring into the terror-stricken gaze of Kara’s beautiful eyes, ripped my soul into shreds. I couldn’t protect her. Karrine’s guards captured her just a few short hours after our meeting at the draw bridge. They murdered her parents in cold blood and here I am having to face her. Her pale skin now tinged with grey from Karrine draining her of her magic. Her lovely face, tear stained and covered with soot and soil mixed with her own blood.
“She is a monster,” she whispered thickly from behind the iron bars that separated us. “I have done nothing- nothing to her! And she imprisons me as if I am some thief who stole her family’s heirloom.”
“You did do something,” Hearing my own voice tremble as I prepare to tell her the reason fueling Karrine’s motives, reinforced the fact that Kara’s demise was my own doing. I should have not played those games with Karrine, regardless of the fact that Karrine loved to play equally as much. I just never realized that where Karrine held emotion for me, I held it for Kara.
“What?”
“Loving me. That’s what you did.”
“How? Why would that upset her? Is it because I am of Royal blood?”
“Listen, just let me talk to her,” I promise. “Maybe I can work out a deal or something with her.”
“There is no reasoning with her Erick,” Kara spat sharply. “I begged. I pleaded. I asked her why. And you know what she did? She took my magic from me, allowed her guards to beat me and watched as they threw me in here! For a crime I know not of.”
“Kara, there is something that she wants.” The hard footsteps of the Queen’s guards closing in forced me to speak quickly.
“What? She has everything!”
“She murdered Mercury without considering the fact that killing him would condemn our magic to death!”
“What?!”
“Listen, I overheard from one of the guards that Mercury has an heir- a daughter to be exact. She’s somewhere out there in the human world,” I speak quickly as the footsteps from the guards begin to close in. “Without magic, Karrine has no kingdom. If I find the heir, I can…”
The Lost Queen- Mercury's Heir Page 11