Ruby (The Silvia Saga Book 3)

by Jenna Lee

  My family’s falling apart right in front of me and what do I do? I stand here frozen to the spot unsure of what to do while my mother lies here suffering. I feel Dara come up beside me; she wraps her arm around me cuddling into my side. Placing my hand around her I gently rub her shoulder, she quietly sobs, her tears soaking into my T-shirt.

  Lowering my eyes, I can’t see my mother like this I want to see her as she was. A fit, healthy woman who’s full of life. This person here isn’t her.

  I hear the front door slam shut then footsteps come up the stairs. Two healers appear, one holding a vile in their hands. The liquid is a bright fluoro green.

  Jolie jumps up snatching it from the healer’s hand. She frantically tries to find a needle; my eyes finally find my mother’s. She’s looking straight at me a smile meets her lips as I see her take her final breath she mouths, save Silvia.

  A tear falls down my cheek. I nod then her eyes close and she’s gone. Glancing around the room I’m the only one who knows she’s gone. Everyone’s looking away or helping Jolie find a needle. I keep quiet, Jolie finds one and injects the cure into the needle.

  She spins around; she looks at our mother, but she doesn’t want to give up. Tears fall down her cheeks, but she keeps going, inserting the cure into her arm. Our mother stays still, my heart hammers against my chest. Please come back, Mum, I scream inside my head. But as seconds turn into minutes and she still doesn’t move my heart shatters into a million pieces. Jolie screams.

  “Come back, Mum, please.”

  The room falls silent, my father stands up from the bed and silently walks out of the room followed shortly after by Declan. Dara moves over to Jolie offering her comfort. She pulls her in and they both fall apart. I stand, still unsure of what to do.

  Is she really gone? Is this all a dream?

  Letting out a curse I storm out of the room. I can’t be here anymore, I need air.

  My breathing comes in short bursts and my heart beats rapidly. I run down the stairs then head for the one place where I can let it all out. Running down another flight of stairs I make it into the training room. Keeping my head down I find the weights.

  After an hour of weights, I need to keep going. I won’t stop until I can’t feel a thing. I want to be numb, so the pain will fade away. Everything’s just been torn from me, but I don’t know how to react. So, I put everything into punishing myself with the weights. It slams down against the rack with a loud clank, sweat pours down my face but I keep going. I run around the circuit then punish myself with push-ups.

  If the healers had been five minutes earlier, our mother would still be with us. I scream and swear to the empty room cursing God or whoever’s listening up there. It should have been me, my mother’s innocent in all of this. As are all the others that have died from this virus that he caused. That motherfucking arsehole is responsible, and he needs to pay. Finishing my hundred and something push up, I jump up. I need to find him and kill him right now.

  Pushing open the training room door I run into Declan who says something. But I ignore him pushing past.

  I’ve got one mission right now, and that’s killing James. No one will stand in my way.

  15

  Dara

  I stay with Jolie for hours, until she asks to have time on her own after the healers took Anna away. Everyone’s gone off to process what’s just happened. I still can’t believe she’s gone, the lady that felt like a mother to me. One that I’ve never truly had. I want to cry, to punch something, to scream but I know none of that would bring her back.

  Making my way downstairs I head into the kitchen; I need to make something for everyone to eat. Just as I enter, I hear a door slam followed by swearing. Glancing into the living room I find Harlan storming toward the door. His shoulders are hunched, and his top is soaking in sweat. He looks like he’s about to explode. He heads straight for the door; that’s when I know something’s not right.

  Following him outside he starts running straight through our village heading toward the border. I run after him trying to pump my legs as fast as they can go. I need to catch up to him; that look on his face before told me he’s about to do something stupid and impulsive. I need to talk to him before he got any further.

  Harlan’s about a hundred metres ahead of me now, he doesn’t once look back. I manage to catch up; I have no idea how—maybe it’s the adrenaline. As I come up behind him, I grab a hold of his T-shirt yanking it backward. He abruptly stops, spins around, and grabbing a hold of my shoulders he pushes me back. I trip and fall down to the ground landing hard against the dirt. Pain rips through my back and I hold back a scream. He hovers over me panting, his chest rises and falls. Looking into his eyes he looks feral like he’s about to murder me. I hadn’t ever seen him like this before. It frightened me but I didn’t show it, I just tried to remain calm. We stay like this for several seconds before he collapses on to me.

  A loud cry comes out from him then he sobs clutching my shoulders. I pull him closer to me rubbing his back gently. Harlan always keeps his tough exterior up never showing emotion like this. He keeps it all bottled up inside but now with his mother’s death, he’s letting it all out.

  “I was going to kill him, Dara,” he whispers between sobs.

  “We will Harlan, we will but when the time is right. Not like this,” I say honestly.

  There’s no way I would have let him charge into James castle and try to kill him like this. It’s a suicide mission. We will make James pay, mark my words, but we have to do it right, when he’ll least expect it, so we make sure we don’t miss. He will be sitting in his castle now waiting for us to attack to get our payback, but we won’t fall into his hands.

  We stay locked in an embrace for a few minutes before Harlan pushes himself off me. He offers me his hand pulling me up. He whispers into my ear, “Thank you, without you here I won’t survive this.”

  “Good thing I’m never going anywhere then.”

  He offers me a tight smile; taking my hand we walk back to the village.

  It’s been a week since our lives changed forever. Since we lost our mother to the virus. Everyone has been mourning in their own way. We haven’t spent much time together as a group. We each gave each other space to heal. Declan has been quietly working away in the training room nonstop. Harlan has been with his father a lot trying to plot how to make James pay in the worst possible way. Oliver has stuck by my side the entire time, not wanting to be apart from me. It really warmed my heart having him cling to me because it’s exactly what I needed too. To have someone with me so we can heal together. Everyone grieved in their own ways and I have realised that this past week.

  Blair has been spending his time up in the canopy having time to himself. He has cooked every day for everyone making sure we all ate. He has been through a lot lately and I know he’s just holding on to a little bit of hope. Jolie hasn’t been coping at all, she has locked herself in her room only coming out to eat once a day. Luckily, she lets Elijah in her room. She took this the hardest blaming herself for not having the cure earlier for her mother. I sat outside her room when I heard her screaming out. She keeps yelling, “Why, why couldn’t they have come up with the cure just a minute earlier.” She keeps saying that she should have tried harder that it’s her fault. I’ve been sitting outside her room crying for her because I want to take away the pain that she’s feeling and make her see that it’s not her fault. Her mother wouldn’t want her blaming herself in any way.

  Kayla and Alaric have been spending their time in the training room, Alaric teaching Kayla some self-defence. She doesn’t know much at all, but she needs to especially now.

  Me, I have been trying to connect to the Ruby stone but am having no luck at all. My mind has been in total chaos trying to force the connection. It’s no wonder it isn’t working out. But, now more than ever we need to find the final stone, so we can end this for all to let Anna’s legacy live on. We will be bringing James down, but I won’t let Harlan and hi
s father go racing into the castle without a plan. We need to plan it out so we’ll have more of a chance to succeed.

  I’ll do everything in my power to make this happen.

  16

  Dara

  Light smoke fills the room, I can’t see a thing. Looking around frantically I try to figure out what’s happening. Then a bright light blinds me, I shield my eyes with my hand peering through my fingers. The bright light gets bigger and bigger coming toward me. The smoke lifts, evaporating then she hovers above me like an angel, Anna.

  She’s wearing a loose-fitting white dress that’s covered in glitter, it shimmers in the light; she looks breathtaking. Her brown hair is loose and falls beautifully around her glowing face. She smiles at me and my heart pinches.

  “Dara, my darling, you need to finish this. You need to finish him and claim your final stone.” She hovers moving closer to me. I don’t move a muscle afraid that she will disappear.

  “You will rule Silvia with your warriors by your side. Don’t give up hope, bring your family back together. It’s going to be okay, we’ll be with you all the entire way. Your parents are so proud of you, Dara, as should you be of yourself.” She reaches out placing her hand on my cheek. My eyes close as I lean into her hand.

  “Connect with your warriors, this will guide you to the Ruby. You must bring everyone back together for this to happen. Lives will be lost, but it’s for the future of Silvia, it’s to save our home. I love you, Dara.” Her hand vanishes, and her voice fades away.

  “Come back,” I scream but she’s gone.

  Somebody shakes my body causing me to jolt awake. Oliver’s panicked eyes are the first thing I see as he’s standing over me. His brows are drawn together.

  “What?” I ask confused.

  He moves back slightly, sitting down in front of me. Looking around my room I find everyone’s here. Harlan, Jolie, Declan, Blair, Kayla, Alaric, and Elijah are all hovering around the bed all looking concerned. What the hell? I clear my throat waiting for someone to answer my question.

  “You were yelling and screaming so we all rushed in here worried. What happened?” Oliver asks rubbing his hand through his hair.

  Sitting up in my bed I tuck my hair behind my ears. I fill in everyone with what happened with Anna. Once I finish, the room stays silent for many seconds before Harlan clears his throat.

  “It’s a sign from our mother to get back together to connect so we can get some insight about the Ruby stone. It wasn’t just a coincidence that she appeared now. It’s a sign to get moving.”

  Everyone nods their heads in agreement. The dream wasn’t like my previous ones when I had visions of where the stones were. Harlan’s right it’s more of a push to bring everyone back together to end this once and for all. We’ve all been apart for too long.

  “Let’s meet up in the canopy in thirty minutes. Alaric takes Kayla to the training room to get some more practice in. Elijah go fill Albert in on what’s happening,” Harlan barks out and walks out the door followed by everyone else.

  Oliver grabs my hand pulling me up off the bed.

  “We need to shower, preferably together.” He winks taking me to my bathroom. I don’t argue one bit. We need to save water anyway.

  We both undress, our eyes staying on one another the entire time. Oliver takes my hand again and we step into the steaming hot shower. He pulls me to his chest as the water falls around us. He tilts my chin up so I’m looking up and his lips find mine. He kisses me lightly as the water drops around us. Pulling back, I lean my head on to his chest.

  “We’ll figure it out, princess, together.” He kisses my forehead.

  After ten minutes in the shower, we reluctantly get out. Oliver wraps a towel around me fastening it around my breasts. He leaves me alone in the bathroom. I lean against the basin placing my face in my hands. Taking a few deep breaths, I try to ready myself for what’s ahead. I have to follow through with Anna’s wish; I have to make her and my parents proud. I won’t make her or my parent’s deaths mean nothing. We will bring Silvia back to its rightful owners. I’m the rightful Queen of Silvia and I will stop at nothing to bring James down to his knees. He will pay the price for killing those I love.

  I wipe away the tear that falls down my cheek; I look at myself in the mirror. Gone is the naïve girl I was all those months ago, in front of me stands a strong warrior who will rule Silvia with kindness.

  I comb through my hair putting it up in a high bun. Stepping out of the bathroom I find Harlan sitting on my bed waiting for me. Oliver’s nowhere to be seen. Pulling out some clothes I get changed while Harlan sits there quietly. Once dressed I turn around to see Harlan watching me intently. Chucking my towel back in the bathroom I join Harlan on the bed, sitting down next to him.

  Taking his hand, I give it a squeeze.

  “Everything okay?” I ask pulling my lip between my teeth.

  “Yeah, I guess. Sorry I’ve been distant the past week. I needed to be with Dad to help him through this. He was like me so consumed with grief that it came out as blind rage. But, thankfully, I managed to talk him out of it, thanks to you. We will make him pay in a better way. How was my mum in your dream?” He looks away.

  “She was beautiful, Harlan, like an angel. She looked happy, she’s with my parents and they believe in us. She said to take care of you all,” I reply honestly.

  “You’re lucky you got to say goodbye in your dream. I wish I had the chance to do that,” his voice breaks and my heart tightens.

  “You will Harlan, she wants you to be happy.”

  He doesn’t reply; he pulls me on to his lap and hugs me holding on for dear life. We stay like this for ages, his heart beats rapidity against my chest.

  “We better go down and discuss how today’s going to play out. Figure out the plan of attack.” Harlan pulls back lightly kissing me on the cheek. I nod getting off the bed pulling him up with me.

  As I’m coming down the stairs, I find all my warriors in the living room. Oliver starts pushing the couches back against the walls making a clear space on the ground with help from Blair. Declan moves the coffee table into the kitchen area so now the room is just bare carpet. Harlan places his arm around my shoulders, and we take the final step off the stairs. We sit down next to Jolie who’s already made herself comfortable on the ground. Crossing my legs over one another I sit silently waiting for everyone to join us. Oliver hums a melody next to me while Jolie has her eyes closed and her fingers resting on her knees. My guess is she’s meditating, trying to clear her head for what’s about to come. Declan shuts the front door locking it in place then he joins us, his eyes find mine and I offer him a smile. He simply nods his head as he sits down opposite me. Harlan and Blair finally join our circle then it’s dead silent for a moment. Harlan opens his mouth to talk but I stop him by clearing my throat. Everyone’s attention is now on me, taking a deep breath I try to relax.

  “I know we all have been distant this past week due to the tragedy of losing Anna.” I pause looking at each of my warriors. “She came to me in my dream for a reason, she wants us to connect together as one united force to find my Ruby stone and end this war,” I say raising my voice at each word.

  I stop, letting my words sink into everyone.

  “We need to release the pain that we are all suffering so we can bind ourselves together again. Without being connected to one another as we’ve been in the past it won’t work. We’ve been drifting apart even before Anna passed away. We must unite as a team so that we can get closer to finding the stone. I need the support of each one of you. Do I have that?” My eyes fall to the ground as I nervously wait for my warriors to answer.

  I need them, to find Ruby. Without them, it won’t work.

  Oliver places his hand on my knee.

  “Always, princess.”

  Blair shuffles over followed by Harlan and Declan all putting their hands over Oliver’s. I look to Jolie who’s next to me. She reaches over placing her hand over the guy’s.


  “I’ve always got your back and my brothers. We will rule Silvia for your parents and ours.” Her voice comes out strong and so sure that it has me smiling in relief. It gives me hope that we can have a chance at freedom.

  That we can finish this.

  17

  Dara

  We stay like this for a good few minutes silently pledging our alliance to one another. That we will be in this together as one. One by one my warriors pull away sitting back down in our circle. Jolie reaches behind her collecting some crystals, she places an amazonite crystal in front of me followed by an agate and tigers’ eye in a line connecting straight between Blair and me. She does the same on the other side. Once she’s finished, there’s a cross down the centre of our circle connecting us all. She picks up the smudge stick that’s full of lavender and sage, lightning it up she moves around the circle letting the scent fill the air. My eyes close, taking in the aroma and my body instantly relaxes.

  I feel Jolie brush past as she sits back down next to me taking my left hand and Oliver takes my right. Opening my eyes, I look around to see everyone’s hands are now connected. The crystals and smudge stick are in the centre of us.

  “Everyone, close your eyes,” Jolie’s voice fills the room. My eyes close at her command. I feel Oliver’s hand relax into mine.