The Lost Queen- Mercury's Heir

by Delizhia Jenkins

  The urge to punch this haughty bastard in the face grows with each second. But common sense takes over, where his is a bit clouded. His prejudice against those of us with dark magic threatens to ruin everything that all of us hoped for.

  “Where is Destiny?” I ask again, growing impatient. Blood pools underneath his tattered shirt.

  Demetrius glares at me, despite both of his eyes being nearly swollen shut. “She was taken…”

  “By who?” I say, inching forward.

  “Agatha,” he coughs, spitting out blood. “They took her. They-”

  I snatch Demetrius by what was left of his shirt. “You brought them to her,” I growl. “You did. And if she dies-you die.”

  Demetrius shrugged me off of him. “I know exactly where they might have taken her,” he tells me as he limps away.

  “Where?” I demand, walking behind him.

  Demetrius grimaces as he forces another step forward. “You are not to be trusted.”

  “And somehow you are?” I snap. “Destiny was under your protection and still you failed her-”

  “You are a Curse-”

  I didn’t even let him finish his sentence. My fist connected with his jaw, cracking it and silencing him at the same time. He stumbles back, holding the side of his face where I struck him, glaring at me. I am so sick of being treated like shit because of what I am-because of the magic that I carry in my veins.

  “Call me a Cursed in that tone again, and I will kill you,” I threaten, evenly. His palms crackle with concentrating energy.

  “Go ahead,” I challenge, feeling the dark magic ooze into my palms. “And I will send something into you that will rot you away from the inside out. Try me.”

  I have no idea how long the stand-off between us lasts, but I do know this, the energy in his palms dissipates. I can sense what was left of his energy reserves take a dive and he stumbles again.

  “Look,” I say. “We do not have time for fighting. We have to get to Destiny. That is all that matters now.”

  Demetrius stares at me and then nods. “Fine. Saving Mercury’s Heir and reclaiming the throne is all that matters.”

  “Whatever,” I mumble. “Lead the way…”

  Chapter Thirty- Six

  Destiny

  Clouds dance in the sky underneath a sea of stars while I wait patiently over the edge of a cliff, overlooking the crystal -clear waters that calmly push and pull against the rocky peaks. I am standing, waiting, as if I am at the end of the road, the end of my journey…

  “I am proud of you daughter,” says my father, Mercury, from behind me. I turn around to face him, and he smiles. His locks are pulled back into a single braid that falls beneath his waist. His warm hand reaches out to touch my face, as if appreciating every detail of me, that is ultimately part of him, too.

  “Where am I?” I ask, looking around.

  “In the Land Between Realms,” he answers softly.

  “Like where I was before?”

  “No. This is where the souls of fallen Mercurians pass on.”

  I look at him, panic threatening to override reason. “Am I…dead?”

  Mercury’s smile widens as he tilts his head back and laughs heartily. “No…you’re still alive.” He then suddenly becomes more serious. “You don’t have time. I have sent messages through the planets warning lost Mercurians of what is to come. I am going to need for you to wake up daughter…wake up and fight…”

  “Huh?”

  I feel myself being pulled into a vortex as the ground beneath me folds inward. Suddenly I am falling…

  “…wake up Malia! Wake up and fight!”

  My eyes snap open and I suck in a deep breath. The smell of wet earth is my only clue in the surrounding darkness. My hands are stuffed in heavy metal gloves, my wrists are bound to one another and my feet are shackled together. I struggle to move, to make even the slightest adjustment in movement. But the weight of the chains allow little success. Footsteps can be heard above me, along with the muffled sound of a female voice issuing orders. I have no idea what she wants to do with me.

  I just know I need to get out of here. And soon.

  Summer

  I’m scared. These people-Mercurians-whatever they are, they are after my mom. And maybe that means, they are after me too. I just want to go home to my room…I want to be with my friends. My best friend Ruby told me that she never wants me to move away. She said that I am like her sister, because her big sister Tabitha is always so mean to her. And I feel like I let Ruby down. The nice lady, er, the Mercurian, Cecilia- she leads us through another portal and as always we have to run again.

  I don’t want to go. My mom needs me.

  “Come on Summer,” Cecilia urges me.

  “Where are you taking me?” I ask, as she pulls me forward. “I have to be with my mom!”

  “You can’t! I have to take you some place safe,” she tells me. “Tell me where you’d like to go. Does your mother have any friends or family?”

  I have to think for a second. My mom never really took me to any of her friend’s houses. And my dad, well… he used to be really mean to my mom, so I don’t see him. The only place I think to go is my grandma and grandpa’s house.

  “Take me to my Nana and Pawpaw’s house,” I say.

  “Where do they live?” Cecilia asks, still holding my hand.

  “Not far from our house in Los Angeles. I remember how to get there from our house.” I used to go over there almost every day after school because my mom had to work.

  Tani’ya looks over at Cecilia who shrugs.

  “I know the coordinates to her home. If she can guide us from there, it will be easy.”

  As we walk through the bright light, the tunnel reminds me of a kaleidoscope, with all of the colors that surround us. I start to get dizzy as I don’t know which way to go, but Cecilia holds onto me so that I don’t fall.

  I can’t stop thinking about my mom. I can’t stop thinking about knowing that we have magic. It makes me wonder what kind of magic I will have when I get older. Will I have powers like my mom?

  “Do you think she will be just as powerful as Destiny?” I hear Tani’ya ask Cecilia as we exit the portal and onto the sidewalk at a busy intersection in my home area.

  “I don’t know,” Cecilia says, looking down at me. “We have no idea how long it took for Destiny’s powers to fully manifest. But once she became stronger, well she was easier for us to find.”

  “Keep walking,” I instruct them. “Nana’s house is just around the corner by the park.”

  “Park?” Tani’ya asked with a raised brow.

  “That is a place where children play and families come to congregate,” Cecilia explained.

  “Such a strange world this is?” Tani’ya said as we waited to cross the street. “What are those big metal things with wheels? What kind of transportation is this?”

  “Those are cars,” I tell her. “We use them to travel. It’s much faster than just walking.”

  “Oh I see,” Tani’ya said with excitement.

  “Come on,” I urge them when the light turned green for us to cross. “It’s almost dinner time and this is usually when Paw-paw is watching the news.”

  “Paw-paw?” Tani’ya asked, giving me a strange look.

  “That would be Destiny’s adopted father,” Cecilia said, looking down at me with a smile.

  “Aaaahhh I see,”

  I lead them past the gas station that sits on the corner, the same gas station that my mom would stop at every morning not only for gas but for coffee. Of course, I would get a Pop-Tart to eat while we were in the car. Tani’ya literally asks about everything and anything as we get closer to my Nana’s house.

  As we approach the tall wooden fence that my Nana had insisted that PawPaw should paint it a dark green to match the outside trim of their home, I can hear their voices outside on the porch.

  “What I don’t understand Louise,” my PawPaw begins. “Is why we can’t just call the po
lice? The school called and said Summer has not attended in days. We haven’t heard from Destiny in days-”

  “You know exactly why we can’t get the police involved Vernon!” My Nana snapped. “You know that Destiny isn’t-”

  “As far as I am concerned Louise that is all a wives’ tale. She ain’t from no magical kingdom!”

  “Vernon, you have always been in a state of denial since our baby got here,” Nana huffed. “We both knew that there would come a time-” Nana stops short when she sees me, Cecilia and Tani’ya coming towards her. Her deep brown eyes widen, and she covers her mouth to mask a silent scream. I abandon Cecilia and run towards her, forcing myself through the gate. I rush up the five stairs that lead towards her porch and into her arms.

  “Nana!” I cry.

  “Summer baby!” My Nana hollers. “Oh my God!” She holds me tight. I hear my PawPaw shuffling over towards us. I can’t stop crying.

  “Where is your mother?” My PawPaw asks.

  I want to tell him. I want to tell him everything, but the tears wouldn’t let me. I want to tell him that there is an evil woman who is stalking us. I want to tell him that strange, ugly men with super powers kept attacking us and we had to run. I want to tell him about Erick and how he helped us and now Erick is gone, and we don’t know where he is. I want to say how we have been stuck with these people who wouldn’t leave us alone, and now because of them…

  My mom is still in Mercuria.

  Cecilia and Tani’ya cautiously approach, interrupting our reunion. My Nana releases me and hands me over to my PawPaw.

  “May I help you?” She asks, placing her hands on her hips.

  “Uh, yes,” Cecilia begins once she steps inside the gate. “My name is Cecilia, and this is my mother Tani’ya. We have assumed responsibility in protecting your granddaughter.”

  My Nana studies her, her gaze shifting between Cecilia and Tani’ya. “Where is Destiny?”

  Tani’ya and Cecilia glance at each other uneasily. “May we come in so we can talk?” Cecilia asks.

  My Nana frowns. “Not until you tell me where my daughter is.”

  “She is in Mercuria. She has to take her place as queen or our world will die,” Cecilia says quickly.

  “Now see,” My PawPaw grumbles. “This is that crazy talk that I ain’t foolin’ with. You either tell us where our daughter really is or-”

  Cecilia’s eyes become a bright gold and her hands crackle with a warm light. “If this isn’t enough to prove that we are like your daughter-not human- then that means that the child is not entirely safe here in your care…”

  “What the…?” PawPaw says staring at her in disbelief.

  Nana sighs. “Come on in.” Nana looks at me and ushers me inside. “Come on baby. Are you hungry? I cooked baked chicken, macaroni and cheese…we have some turnip greens and cornbread-”

  “What the hell woman?” PawPaw fussed. “You just can’t let them inside! Did you not just see the witchcraft-”

  “We are not witches!” Cecilia yelled, stomping her foot. “We demand much more respect than that.”

  “They are not witches Vernon,” Nana says evenly. “Now you see why I said no police?”

  I follow my grandma inside and motion for Cecilia and Tani’ya to do the same despite Paw-paw’s fussing. Once inside, my Nana offers them a seat, while my PawPaw sits directly across from them, his eyes focused on even their slightest movements.

  “Go wash up baby so you can eat,” Nana instructs me before turning her attention onto Cecilia.

  “Okay,” I said as I headed towards the first-floor bathroom.

  “Now,” Nana begins. “Tell me what happened.”

  Chapter Thirty- Seve n

  Erick

  Sir Limps A-Lot led us towards the main city where we were mostly greeted by abandoned and dilapidated buildings. Mercurians were fleeing, leaving the city by the droves. The ground trembled with each step, indicating that the ground would soon cave in beneath us if we did not move quickly. I can sense Destiny close by somewhere. But I know Karrine, she wouldn’t put her somewhere that is obvious such as the palace-or at least, what is left of it. What was once the wonderous monolithic structure of magic was now near ruins. Even from this distance, I could see that the palace no longer stood as a reminder of all the sacrifices made for Mercuria to stand.

  Demetrius sucked in another deep breath. His wounds were healing slowly, but the labor of simply traveling from one end of the city to the other was taxing on him. For the duration of our journey, we don’t speak. And despite his injuries, he doesn’t stagger. He keeps up with my quick pace, and for that, I can’t help but respect him. I am concerned about what kind of trap we are walking into. Karrine knows I am coming.

  “You know there are only two of us right?” I say calmly as we come to a stop just before crossing the bridge that joined the southern city district with the small ghetto that I and those like myself called home. The cobblestone street was cracked and splintered. To my left, I sensed the magic that made up the life force of a fellow Mercurian exit his trampled, barely recognizable body. And just up ahead, another lay sprawled out in the street, lifeless. Dark blood oozing from his head and from the corner of his mouth while a blade stood proud in the center of his chest.

  “I can count,” Demetrius said finally as we bypass another dead body. “I know Karrine has a smaller palace not far from here. That used to be her vacation home when she opted to take a break from her royal duties. But at this point, I am willing to bet that is her fallback position and where she is keeping Destiny.”

  I nod. “She knows she cannot harness Destiny’s magic permanently even as a Drainer. She tried it and failed…”

  “Which means we can only guess that she somehow figured out a way to do it and needs Destiny alive,” Demetrius added.

  My thoughts quickly drift from Destiny to Kara. I glance over in the direction of where the main palace once stood, my heart racing as I think about those who were held captive in the Queen’s dungeons. Did Kara make it out alive? I stop midway across the bridge, staring at the rubble off in the distance. I can feel Demetrius’s eyes on my back as I try not to think of the unthinkable.

  “From what I understand,” Demetrius said softly. “The Queen took everyone with her. She didn’t trust the captives enough to set them free and a number of them still owe her huge debts. We find Destiny, we find your wife.”

  I hear him and moving forward I can only hope that what he said to me is true. I know Karrine probably a lot better than anyone of those Loyalists who call themselves defenders of Mercury. Yes she is calculating. Shrewd even. But her darkness is denser than the darkest night.

  And she hated Kara nearly as much as she hated Mercury. Please let Kara still be alive, I think to myself, hoping that the gods who still looked down upon us from on high would hear my prayer as we trek forward. Her freedom is the least I could give her. As I gaze at the long road ahead, I consider each moment she spent in that cell, hoping that I would fulfill the mission swiftly. But I failed her. I imagined those sad, blue eyes of hers losing hope with each day that passed; each day that I did not return; each second that she had to live under the cruel hand of Karrine.

  I failed her.

  Pain fills my heart to maximum capacity before rupturing, flooding my nervous system with shards of broken glass that is my heart. Kara, if you can hear me, I am so sorry…

  When we arrive just beyond the gated citadel, Demetrius and I take refuge in the shadows of the surrounding trees. The thick foliage of The Three Star trees that are scattered about in the area, shields us from the ever- watchful eyes of her WarMan.

  “I can see her guards all the way from here, “ Demetrius whispered, peeking through the leaves. “She’s got this place surrounded.”

  “I know,” I said. “How much juice you got?”

  Demetrius’ palms crackle with energy. “I have more than enough juice,” he said with the crack of his knuckles. “Agatha will pay for her tre
achery.”

  A slight smile spreads across my face. I’ve been wanting to ring that blonde’s neck for damn near a century. My own palms tingle with dark energy, and I can hear the soft chants of spirits riding the breeze, begging me to summon them. I contemplate the repercussions of such a decision as I watch one of Karrine’s WarMen take position in front of the gate. Almost three hundred pounds of solid muscle and pure ugly, stood guard.

  Along with ten more that I could now see.

  The calls of the spirits grow louder, just as I decide to remind Karrine why the magic of a Cursed has always been considered a product of nightmares.

  Chapter Thirty- Eight

  Destiny

  The heavy foot falls of someone approaching heightens my senses, and I struggle once more to break free, but the metal gloves and the chains render me unsuccessful. “Shit,’ I curse under my breath as the guard closes in on me. His magical energy is intense. It feels as if I am face to face with an inferno, my skin nearly singing from the contact.

  “The Queen wants to see you,” he growls, reaching for me.

  I try to scoot as far back away from him, pressing myself against the wall to avoid coming in contact with his touch when I hear commotion from outside.

  “Seize them!” Another guard shouted as a stampede of footsteps rushed towards the direction of the chaos. Painful screams fill the halls, and the guard that I am trying to lose, yanks me by my wrists and hoists me off the floor.

  “Let’s go,” he orders, dragging me in the direction of the stairs.

  “Let me go!” I scream, fighting against his hold.

  He grips me tighter, pulling me forward.

  And the dark density of the room increases tenfold just as we neared the stairs. The singsong chants being whispered in icy tones that chilled the bone, surrounded us. My palms tingle with power despite the gloves. The WarMan freezes, still holding onto me as the temperature in the room drops another few degrees. My heart is hit with a huge dose of adrenaline as the chants intensify in strength.