She continues to study me. The dead always can detect the truth. “Will you tell her to rebuild the bridge?”
I look at her and nod.
“Many of us are trapped here, unable to ascend because the bridge is now broken. Mercury’s power is focused on the other realms now that he operates in spirit form,” she told me. “I understand that he now sends messages through the stars and planetary alignments, but we have yet to receive word from him.”
“Well I am here to tell you that his heir has been found and is now in Mercuria,” I tell her. “But she may be in danger if I do not pass.”
The old spirit nodded. “Understood. You may pass.”
She disappears and soon after, a winding stoned path manifest before me. In less than a hundred yards, I will be back in Mercuria.
Hang in there Destiny… I am on my way….
Chapter Thirty-On e
Destiny
I have no idea what time I fell asleep or even how long I had slept. I just know that once I stepped out of the crystal tub, my bones felt heavy and the weariness from all the running and being chased had finally caught up with me. I wake up to the low light of a candle burning beside me on the night stand. Warm spices permeated the air, as the smell of food being cooked drew me out of my bedroom. Summer is still asleep in her room in a tangled mess of sheets. I slipped on a pair of socks that I managed to find in my duffel bag. I donned a pair of black yoga pants, and a hot pink camisole, feeling a little self-conscious about my current attire. But the way my stomach calls out to me, I could care less what Mercurians think about my sleepwear.
Pushing the door open, I am instantly greeted by two incredibly large men, both of ebony skin. Their armor is black and lined with gold, making them appear even more regal than threatening. They acknowledge me with a nod.
“Ummm, my daughter is still sleeping in there,” I say. “If she wakes up before I return, can you tell her I went to find food?”
The guard who stood on my left politely responded with, “Anything for you, Your Majesty.”
“Uh, ok. Ummm, thanks,” I say as I slide past the two guards.
As I begin my journey towards the kitchen, I allow the thickening aroma of spices, herbs and whatever else the chef of the hour is using, to guide me, as the hallway is fairly quiet. I can detect the presence of Mercurians scattered about, all their powers flowing through me like the ebb and flow of the ocean. And speaking of Mercurians, I wonder where Demetrius and his sister went. If I am supposed to be in all this danger, and clearly, they went through hell and highwater to find me, why are they not here?
The doorway to the dining area is just a few steps ahead of me, and out of nowhere a loud burst of laughter erupts from it. I peek in to find the room filled with Mercurians, some of them having already introduced themselves to me, smiling and laughing, while toasting huge glass mugs of some kind of ale. Over in the corner is Demetrius, looking every bit of serious as he always does, deeply engaged in conversation with a burly built man with red wispy hair and pale pink skin. But over at the long table, sat Cecilia smiling and laughing with the others. A tall brown skinned beauty stood proud as she finished her story about a past battle with a sea dragon when suddenly she stopped short and glanced over in my direction. The room instantly fell silent and all eyes focused on me -including Demetrius.
“Ummm sorry guys,” I say sheepishly, now standing fully in the doorway. “I was just looking for the kitchen-”
“The Queen wants food!” Someone in the back barked out.
And then just like that chaos ensues. Everyone is on their feet, scrambling to wipe down the table, and clear away the mugs, when someone rushes over and gripped me by the hand to lead me to a vacant seat. The poor man’s eyes are wide with excitement as he ushers me over to the chair, which I graciously accept.
“What would you like Queen?” Another Mercurian asks me anxiously.
She is another beauty. Rich hazel green eyes, smooth caramel skin and honey blonde hair that compliments her skin tone very well.
“Ummm a sandwich would be fine,” I say. I came all this way for food, just to discover that I still do not know what I want to eat.
She looks at me, puzzled. “A what?”
I forgot. She wouldn’t know what a sandwich is because she is not from where I am from.
“Uh, bread, meat, cheese…mustard, mayo…maybe a pickle…”
Still confused.
Demetrius steps over and glances at me and the young woman and says, “She will have the basaba and make sure it is toasted.”
The woman smiles at Demetrius and skirts off.
“What’s a basaba?” I ask, prepared for the dry snarky response he prefers to give me.
“It’s our equivalent of a sandwich,” he says evenly. “But instead of that processed garbage that you’re accustomed to, we use cured dragon, and a special sauce-”
“Cured dragon?” I gasp. I honestly do not know how to feel about this. Mercuria has…dragons?
He shakes his head and says, “Yes. It tastes just like what you call beef-only a thousand times better.”
“Dragon meat,” I repeat with a scowl.
Demetrius frowns. “Please do not turn your nose up at what is normal for Mercurians. They are excited to be of service to you-”
“Coming from the man who has done nothing but turn his nose up at me since the very beginning,” I retort quickly. I am so fed up with this man and his attitude towards me, I do not know what to do.
“I appreciate everything that everyone seems to be willing to do for me, but damn…you on the other hand I can do without. Since you hate me so much then stay the hell away from me. Seriously.”
With that I refuse to look at him. I just stare at the wall across from me. Fortunately, no one seems to have paid any attention to our conversation, so he can actually walk away without any embarrassment.
He looks at me, stunned, opens him mouth to speak but instead says nothing. He slowly turns to walk away, leaving me right where I need to be- alone. Cecilia watches her brother quickly brush past a couple of idle Mercurians, and then exit the room. I feel her gaze shift over in my direction and I wait for her to approach.
“Is everything alright?” She asks, taking a seat next to me.
“Yeah. Everything is fine,” I murmur.
“I understand my brother can be a bit of a jerk,” she says emphatically. “I will talk to him.”
I shrug. “It’s ok, I think the best thing for your brother to do at this point is stay away from me.”
Now it is her turn to be stunned. “I understand that everything here is new to you. I think all of us do. You were raised in the human world and our ways are not your own. My brother knows that.”
“And still, he hates me for it.”
“He can be a bit over the top with his judgments at times,” she adds with a sigh. “I think he is worried about more than what you or I could ever imagine…”
“Well, I have nothing to do with any of it. I have my own worries. Do any of you realize that I am also a mother? That I have a child whose life is in danger because of all of this? If I die, who is going to look out for her? Her whole life is different now because of this.”
Cecilia offers me a sympathetic look. “Queen Karrine is no match for you, especially now that you are here. The atmosphere will strengthen you like no other. Eat. Rest. And allow this world to strengthen you. You and the rest of us are going to need it.”
She steps away from the table, leaving me alone with my thoughts. The smell of “basaba” enters my nose as the brown skinned beauty sets the plate in front of me. And I cannot even deny it, the stuff is delicious. The sweet and spicy, tangy taste is enough to make me sigh with content. To be honest, I’ve never tasted anything this delicious in my life. I use the bread to sop up the juices and sauce from the meat, and fifteen minutes later, I am too stuffed to think.
“Did you enjoy your meal Queen?” The brown skinned beauty asked as she collected
my plate.
“I did,” I say with a smile. “Thank you.”
Her smile is warm and welcoming, and just as she turns away from me, I instantly sense the power bomb that bursts through the wall with a hard blast. The fiery orb is about as big as a sedan and several Mercurians are instantly incinerated upon contact. The 2.5 seconds it takes to destroy whatever is in its path, all seems to happen in slow motion. Without thinking, I knock the young woman out of the way. As she hits the floor, with my hand I send out a powerful wave of energy that captures the fire ball, suspending it in mid- air. Whoever did this, knows I am here, which pisses me off. I’ve had enough of running and hiding, ducking and dodging. My daughter is nearby, now probably awakened from all of the commotion… she could have been killed! Oh hell no!
My frown deepens as I summon as much personal strength as I can. The energy signature is that of a Pyro- and a strong one at that. I can feel his imprint.
“Tell your Queen,” I say through gritted teeth as I prepare the launch. “To stop fucking with me!”
And with that, I force the ball back in the direction from which it came, sending along with it a kick of my own fury. Like a missile pinpointing its target, it sails through the air, exploding immediately when it reaches its target. The ground around us begins to tremble and my only focus from here on out is getting to my daughter.
Someone grabs my arm and pulls, as he leads me back towards the bedroom. Cecilia already has Summer gathered up in her arms, and the next thing I know we are running. Soldiers are gathering outside, while some are rushing inside, in search of the threat. More chaos ensues as I try not to stumble, lest I end up trampled by the frightened civilians. I feel a palm firmly placed on my back, urging me to press forward. I do not need to look to see who that is…
Demetrius.
He doesn’t say anything as he and another soldier took flank on either side of me.
“Take her to the north eastern side of the camp,” he ordered the others. “I will go back and search for survivors.”
“Demetrius!” Cecilia called out. “Be careful!”
He says nothing as he turns around and sprints back to the compound. I turn my head quickly in time to watch him run head first into chaos, and a part of me admires the beauty in that. His dreads bounce off of his shoulders and are carried by the wind he creates as he propels himself forward. His rich dark skin becomes a blur as he becomes motion. He is life. He is wind. He is courage. And despite our differences, I cannot help but respect him.
Chapter Thirty -Two
Erick
I have not touched Mercurian soil in twenty years. Twenty long years, I have not breathed its air, felt the warmth of the double suns, absorbed the rich scenery that the land itself provides. I could stand in this moment forever. Memories of my life as a child running through the rich fields of wheat, and smelling the red and green carnelians that blossomed every three months, enchanting the air with the sweetness of their magic. Twenty years.
Twenty.
And during my absence, I had not believed that I would ever miss Mercuria…until now.
The loud crash, thunder and roll like a bomb being detonated goes off in the distance. My thoughts quickly shift back to Destiny. The war has already begun. I head off to the east. I know exactly where the loyalist encampment is. Seconds later however, the deafening whine followed by an explosion sends a shock wave that digs deep into the earth. The ground around me begins to tremble. Destiny possesses all of the powers of Mercuria, and now that she is present in our world, it will only make her stronger.
But even as strong and powerful as Mercury himself was, Karrine was still shrewd enough in taking him out. And I am willing to bet money that she has a sure-fire way of not only harnessing Destiny’s powers, but also taking her out as well. We cannot afford to lose this time. Destiny is our only hope – our one chance at making things right in Mercuria. I don’t trust those loyalists one bit- especially the blonde. She and I have a serious score to settle. And as for the one with the Medusa-like locks, I have every intention of reminding him just why Cursed Mercurians are to be the most dreaded.
I think of my wife, Kara and of all the years we have been separated. Would she still hold her gaze upon me as she once did? Or, would her heart be bitter and filled with resentment for me, because of the long time it took for me, to return for her? I am plagued with these questions as I sprint in the direction of the encampment.
I just won’t know, until I know.
I can only hope that she will understand.
Karrine
Her soldiers knew what to do. Her WarMen knew what to do. Her trusted associates, and those who still clung to her as Queen knew to hunker down. With Mercury’s heir now present in Mercuria, she felt her own power magnify by ten. The dragon blood stone that she held tightly in her hand illuminated with a soft red glow, gradually increasing its warmth.
What a fool you’ve been Mercury, she chuckled as she looked toward the skyline, in the direction of the Loyalist’s camp. Holding onto the very thing that Neptune tried to kill you with instead of destroying it.
The power of the Bloodstone had been thought to be a myth among her people. The old god Neptune and Mercury engaged in a feud that spanned through the millennia for reasons no one exactly knew. But Neptune hated Mercury with a passion that he enlisted the help of Hephaestus in creating a weapon to use against Mercury that would not only permanently drain him of his powers, but also give the owner of the weapon full access to them. Mercury quickly discovered what Hephaestus and Neptune were up to, and devised a plan that counteracted their own, by turning the entire pantheon of the gods against them. As a result, Neptune was banished to the seas, while Hephaestus was sent to another realm.
And now the very weapon that Mercury sought to prevent from being used against him was now in her possession. This time, she vowed, she would remain Queen Supreme. All of Mercury’s powers would be contained and forever in her possession to use at her disposal. Carelessly tossing her thick braid over her shoulder as she watched the massive fire ball shoot across the sky. Her pyros were at work. Her expression changed almost instantly as she was witness to its immediate return, but this time it was packed with more of a kick to it, with the blue-white signature of Mercury.
So the heir is fighting back.
Karrine smiled to herself as she smoothed her thumb gently over the stone.
Things were about to get interesting.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Destiny
Cecilia, Summer and I are in hiding again, about [DB1]two miles south from where we had been previously at the encampment. I can still smell the smoke from the earlier attack. Summer snuggles in closer to me as we lay in the large canopy bed of the master suite we were escorted to. The compound they secluded us in is surrounded by nearly a hundred soldiers, many of whom once served as guards for my father. I look at my daughter, amazed by her strength, and her resilience… I wonder what her powers will be now that we are in Mercuria. So far, nothing has manifested, and I do not sense anything other than human within her. Perhaps her magic is dormant and may reveal itself when she undergoes puberty.
There are whispers outside of my door, and since I am unable to sleep, listening in seems like a good idea. I refuse to be kept in the dark about anything anymore. This is just as much my life as it is everyone else’s. For far too long, I knew nothing about who I am -what I am- and what really lies ahead of me. My parents knew. Just thinking about them reminds me of how worried they might be. It’s been days since they’ve heard from me. I know someone has already filed a missing person’s report for both myself and Summer. We may really never be able to go back after all of this.
“Have you heard anything from Agatha?” I hear Cecilia ask someone. “The last time we were together, was when we were being attacked by the Queen’s guard.”
“No. Nothing. We have not heard from neither her nor Drakus, or Thaddeus for that matter,” the soft female voice replied back.<
br />
“That’s so odd,” Cecilia said thoughtfully. “They know how to return to Mercuria-“
“Do you think they were killed?”
“No. Agatha is one of the strongest fighters we could have enlisted help from. So are Thaddeus and Drakus…”
“We will keep looking for them,” the woman promised. “Maybe there were more setbacks that we did not consider when sending you all into the earth realm.”
I could sense Cecilia’s movement in a shrug then she says, “Maybe. It just doesn’t seem like them…”
So the blonde and the two other men who were with them had not returned to Mercuria since we left them in Vegas.
Interesting.
“How is our Queen?” The woman asked.
“You mean Destiny?” Cecilia quizzed. “She seems to be taking in everything well…”
“She has been hidden in the human world all this time…I wonder, how did she survive without magic?”
“I am sure she would be happy to explain all of that and more when all this is over,” Cecilia said.
They would have no clue as the kind of physical and mental hell I went through, especially as a teenager. The nightmares…the extreme headaches… yeah, not something I wish to revisit.
Cecilia and the woman continue for another few minutes, whispering about the survivors and what the next counterattack will be.
All this bloodshed because of me.
Another blast rattles off in the distance, shaking the ground beneath us. Summer is still knocked out sleep, but my senses are on high alert. The Queen seems to want to back us into a corner. My door swings open and in storms Cecilia.
“Destiny,” she huffs, breathing heavily. “We have to move again. There are approaching forces and right now we don’t have the manpower to face off with them.”
I hear every word that she says, but I am focusing on the concentrating energy that is building in my veins. The pressure in my hands is like the slow build of a pending tidal wave: the ocean collecting all of its power for one final blow…the war between land and sea. I look at my sleeping daughter and for the first time in my 33 years of existence, I feel like I am fighting for something that is greater than me. If I die, Summer dies. Plain and simple.
The Lost Queen- Mercury's Heir Page 15