by Bar Sagi
“So what you’ll be doing is driving all the way to Rudyard, where a noble family is hosting a ball for the coming-of-age of their youngest daughter, Mackenzie. It’s in two days, but you are supposedly arriving early to congratulate them.” Amanda paused and glanced at Yasmin, who wasn’t really paying attention. “Understand everything so far?”
Yasmin grunted. It was too early in the morning for this. Lucas was on his way, and she was falling asleep in her chair as it was.
“From Rudyard you’ll be portalling to Meldon, and hopefully by then most of the town will be portalled out. We can’t portal you directly to Rudyard because every speck of magic is needed to portal an entire town away.”
Yasmin yawned, getting up and giving Amanda a half-hearted grin. “Don’t worry about me. I’m just a power vacuum.”
“That was your choice,” Amanda reminded her, even though she was smiling. “Good luck! You’ll be meeting with David and Violet soon to go with you.”
Yasmin sat bolt upright, suddenly wide awake. “David’s coming?!” She couldn’t keep the annoyance from her voice.
“Yes, Lady Reagan of Blaxton is an old friend of his. It would spread rumors if he wasn’t at her party. Plus, he wanted to help.” Amanda yawned too. She had been up all night double checking and triple checking everything.
“Oh, great!” Yasmin grumbled. “Can we at least be in separate cars?” Yasmin asked as she drank scolding hot tea that a maid had brought over, nearly spitting it out when it burned her tongue.
“Um, you leave in thirty minutes, so no.”
“You are a wicked, evil person, making me be in the same car as my ex.” Yasmin had to refrain herself from adding: And my kind of, sort of boyfriend who has been avoiding me ever since our first date.
Just then, Lucas rushed in, looking lost. Yasmin couldn’t blame him, remembering the first time she had come to the castle and it looked like something out of a fairytale.
“Your highness,” he said, bowing to Amanda, who acknowledged him by tilting her head in his direction, her face once more a mask.
“Lucas Ashtown. We are very glad to have your assistance in this dire time. Thank you for volunteering to assist Yasmin the mage in stopping the rebels. Do not fear for your safety, for you will have a graduate of the Magic Academy, Gloriana, and his highness, Prince David, to protect you, not including the mage herself.”
Amanda gestured to Yasmin, who was trying to meet Lucas’s eyes. He was avoiding eye contact, looking drawn and pale.
He looked like he had lost ten pounds since they had last seen each other.
“Now, you are not to fight any rebels unless it is for self-defense. We shall be teleporting battle spellcasters into the town, to fight the rebels and capture hostages. We need their information.” Amanda paused to make sure Lucas understood everything. “Is there something you don’t understand?”
Yasmin could literally see the gears turning in Lucas’s head. He seemed uncomfortable here, out of place. But he shook his head, and met Amanda’s eyes squarely. “I understood everything. When do we leave?”
“In five minutes,” Amanda said, glancing at her watch. “By this afternoon you should be in the town. The attack is supposed to happen sometime today. We have been evacuating people since dawn, but we will only finish around five. That’s when you’ll take a portal to the town, hopefully to catch them in the act. Good luck!” She squeezed Yasmin’s hand, a sisterly gesture, and smiled at Lucas.
“Bye,” Yasmin said. She felt really nervous to be sitting with David and Lucas in a car for two hours. Oh, yeah, Violet would be there too. But with her luck, Violet would only add to the drama.
The car was waiting for them by the entrance. It was white, and long, with really clean windows. What weirdos, Yasmin thought as she climbed in, remembering her family’s blue-gray car that always smelled of dust with a laugh. The royal car smelled of champagne and cleaning materials. Nothing made it alive.
“Hi, Yasmin!” Violet beamed at her, dressed in a hot purple dress that matched her eyes perfectly.
As usual, she managed to look like a goddess without trying. “I’m so happy you decided to come! We could use your help.”
She turned to Lucas, who looked even more uncomfortable in the small space, the look on his face proclaiming to the world he would rather be anywhere but here, and added, “Hello. You’re Yasmin’s boyfriend, right?”
David glared at Yasmin from next to Violet, while the tension in the car doubled. As the driver set off, Yasmin found herself wedged between Lucas and David, while Violet sat by the window. She was treated to David’s glares for five minutes straight, while the stuffiness in the car grew unbearable, as did the silence.
Violet was shifting around, like she could tell something was wrong. She glanced at David’s angry face, then, confused, looked at Lucas, who looked equally unhappy.
“Did you two break up?” She looked horrified suddenly, slapping a hand over her mouth. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t know!”
“It’s not your fault, Violet, sweetie,” David said, smirking.
Yasmin felt the word ‘sweetie’ settle like a rock in her stomach.
“It’s not your fault Yasmin can’t keep a man.” He shot an almost bored look over at her and Lucas, and Yasmin had to look away.
There was something about his eyes that reminded her of Abby’s, jealous and hating.
“Why can’t you leave her alone?” Lucas burst out, glaring at David. “I know she was your girlfriend…” Both Violet and Yasmin looked hurt at this, and Violet drew her hand away from David’s. “But she isn’t now. So get over it, man, because you have another great girl right there!” He pointed at Violet, who smiled weakly at him.
Yasmin felt glad that Lucas had defended her, but also privately thought he had only made things worse. The tension in the car doubled, if possible.
“Oh, aren’t you the hero,” David hissed, his eyes stilts. “But she doesn’t want you, because you’re only second best to me, and the second I say so, she’ll come running back—”
His words were cut off by Yasmin’s hand smacking across his face.
A red welt immediately appeared on his cheek.
Everyone in the car was gaping at her.
“David, enough!” Yasmin said loudly, trying to control her emotions. “You have no right to say that! I will never choose you, do you understand? I like Lucas!”
She turned her face away from David, who had suddenly become as white as a sheet, and was touching his cheek with tears in his eyes.
Violet reached out and squeezed David’s hand, trying to give him some degree of comfort. She ought to, after all. They were almost husband and wife.
Touching David’s wound gently, she tried to heal it with her magic, but he grabbed her wrist and wouldn’t let her touch his cheek.
***
Violet sat back in her seat, hurt, and crossed her arms. It was not the first time that she wondered what was going on between Yasmin and David.
Does David still have feelings for Yasmin? Violet wondered, as she watched the three of them, their feelings so tangled it was impossible to tell anything anymore. Does David keep sabotaging her relationship with Lucas because he is jealous? The thought seemed impossible. After all, I know David best. He’s been my fiancée for years. I love him with all my heart. And I know he loves me back.
But looking at David now, that thought wasn’t so clear.
David was gazing out the window, deep in a trance of his own, and touching the fading red mark that was left of Yasmin’s slap.
He looked, there was no better word for it, crushed. Like he was holding the weight of the world on his shoulders.
***
Yasmin sat staring at her hands, silent tears rolling down her face, and wondering how things had escalated so fast.
She had slapped David! An
d she wasn’t a violent person! True, David probably deserved it, but still. She squeezed her hands tighter together and tried to pull herself together.
***
Lucas was looking at the three of them, Violet and Yasmin and David, so different from him.
From a different world. Even Yasmin had looked at ease with the royal princess. He, Lucas, was an outsider. But that didn’t matter much, did it? He was never going to get the girl, anyway. He was better off just staying away from these kinds of people.
***
The rest of the ride passed in uncomfortable silence. Yasmin kept looking down at her hands and wishing all of this was over. As they neared a red stone city, Yasmin felt the car slow down and the crunch of gravel.
Lucas opened the door and stepped out of the car, blocking Yasmin’s view of the city. She had heard rumors, of course, that it was a city built of red stone because of the mine beside it. But nothing had prepared her for reality when Lucas moved out of the way.
They were standing on a mountain, in a city literally carved out of it. The mountain itself was dense gray stone, but on the inside, it was a beautiful, soft red stone.
The city was carved out of the mountain, all made of stone. People bustled by, lively and full of energy, just like Tel Aviv.
There were no cars as far as she could see, because, of course, how well would a car work in a city carved out of a mountain?
“Amazing,” Yasmin heard Lucas whisper beside her, his face full of awe.
“I know,” Yasmin said, her gaze landing on a fountain carved out of red stone, and the water it sprayed out into the hands of a beast was not clear, but golden, like the sun.
There was writing under the beast’s statue: The beast will not scare us, for we know he is a beautiful man inside.
There were flowers scattered all around the fountain, like one would scatter flowers around a grave. Yasmin touched one of the withering petals in awe. People must have really loved the dead king, to still leave him flowers ten years later.
Standing, she wrapped her sweater a little tighter around her, shivering a bit. It was getting cold up here, and the air was thinner.
“Yasmin,” Violet called out, turning back to call her.
She was walking toward a mansion made completely of red stone. It was built on the top of the mountain, and went a little ways into the mountain itself. “Are you coming?”
Yasmin nodded and looked around for Lucas, hoping he wasn’t lost. She found him standing hunched on the other side of the fountain, looking down at the ground. He seemed to have the weight of the world on his shoulders.
As she approached him, she saw Lucas look at the king with thinly disguised hatred shining through. Yasmin nearly stepped back in surprise, and fear. The look in Lucas’s eye’s was full of more than hatred, but also desperation, the kind starved men have when meat is dangled above their heads.
Just as Yasmin was trying to figure out what had caused such pain, Lucas caught her eyes. Immediately, his expression cleared, and he held out his arm to her, smiling softly.
“Wanna go in, Milady?” He grinned teasingly at her, but his eyes were cold.
Yasmin swallowed hard and took his hand, which felt as cold as ice. Yasmin looked at Lucas’s face again, noting the hard features and the fake smile.
This wasn’t the Lucas she had known. Her thoughts troubled her. What had happened to him? When I get back I’ll shake him until he spits the answer out. Then I’ll help him, if I can. But right now, I have to stop the rebels. If Lucas has been this way for a while, he can wait a little more. I can’t let more people die.
As they entered the mansion, Yasmin gasped again. This place was astounding! Even though by now she was used to grand palaces, and this mansion didn’t come close to it in size and grandeur, there was an ancient quality about it all the same.
Yasmin felt like she was a part of history as she walked down the plush velvet carpet, glancing around at the beautifully carved ceiling showing wars from centuries past. Humans—spellcasters, probably, judging from the fact that they had nearly no weapons—and fairies alike fought each other with unmistakable anger on their faces.
Yasmin glanced at Violet, part fairy, who was the fiancée of the prince himself. What had happened to change everything?
Lucas was looking around the room with a bored expression on his face. Yasmin felt confused. He looked lifeless, like a doll. And whenever their eyes caught, he grinned like he was having fun. Why was he putting on a façade?
Violet came up beside her and smiled. “Thank you, Yasmin,” she said, hooking her arm into Yasmin’s. “I know it’s hard for you to use your magic again after that time, but thank you. I promise that in return, I’ll do my best to help you.” She brushed her hair out of her ear and gave Yasmin a winning smile. “You have no idea how much this means to me.”
Yasmin forced herself to smile, but it didn’t fool Violet. “Are you okay?” Violet asked, looking concerned.
“Yeah,” Yasmin said, shaking her head. “Something just doesn’t feel right.”
Violet laughed, and the sound echoed around the halls like the tinkling of bells. People stopped to stare at this beautiful, fairy-like creature walking down the hall with grace and beauty.
Violet ignored them, but Yasmin felt their gazes on her and shrank a bit.
“Yasmin, you hate every palace and mansion. I’ve seen you during the parties, remember. I think you’re just sulking because you’re stuck in here.”
Yasmin did feel uncomfortable, walking down these halls, but that wasn’t it. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but something felt out of place.
Maybe it was because she was behind on homework? Or that David was here, just twenty feet away? No, that wasn’t it. She knew that there was something very wrong here. She would stake her life on it. It itched. Like a place on her back that couldn’t be scratched.
Something would go wrong today, she was sure of it…
Chapter 22
The portal
“Hello!” the cheerful Lady Mackenzie said, grinning and curtsying in front of David.
David and Violet smiled and waved back, with Lucas and Yasmin standing behind them, as uncomfortable as dolphins in a lake.
“Your rooms are this way! I’m so happy that you came early!”
The bubbly brown-haired lady twirled excitedly, and waved them toward their rooms.
“See you at dinner!”
As she walked away, Yasmin glanced at her watch. She had noticed Gloriana doing that a lot the past few minutes and had begun wondering if all the townsfolk were out of town yet.
Walking over to Gloriana, Yasmin tapped her on the shoulder while David, Violet, and Lucas were led away by guards.
Gloriana turned, surprised. “What do you want, Yasmin?” Her usually stern face was tired and lined. She seemed older than she was. The past few months had really put a toll on her body.
“I just wondered, when are we leaving? When will everyone be out of Meldon?” Yasmin asked, on edge.
“Soon,” Gloriana replied, glancing at her watch. “They should have everyone out of there by now.” Giving Yasmin a stern glance, she took her aside. “I need to ask you something, Yasmin. And I need you to be very honest with me.”
Yasmin nodded, unsure and confused because of the sudden tension in the air. “Anything.”
“You were my student for a while. Magically, I mean. And when you were my student, you showed great promise, not only because of your mage capabilities, but also because of your passion to help people, even when your heart and soul were broken. I know the reason you quit magic is because you were so afraid of hurting the people of Atlantis.
“But even without magic, you managed to help Atlantis quite a lot, by helping the two armies of Atlantis to work together, as equals. That hasn’t happened since the old king’s time.
“But now, more than ever, you have to prove yourself. Yasmin, if you run off, hurt these people in any way, or let their homes, if not their lives, be destroyed, there will be hell to pay afterward.” Gloriana took a deep breath. “I specifically asked for you and David, you because of your passion and strength, and David because of his ability in Rune magic and because he would bring Violet, who wouldn’t have come otherwise. Violet may not look like it…” Gloriana paused, seeing Yasmin’s surprised face. “But she is a master of the Wind element and can even conjure up rain and fog. We will need her today.
“Yasmin, do you promise you will do better than your best? Will you not hesitate?” Gloriana looked at Yasmin, her gaze intense.
It was obvious that if Yasmin said no, she would be sent home now.
“Of course I will,” Yasmin said, shocked. “Gloriana, I have seen what the rebels have done. I will give my life if I need to.”
Gloriana looked so relieved, it took years off her age.
Yasmin felt curious. “Gloriana, why is Meldon so important to you? I have never seen you get this agitated.”
“Meldon has been attacked twice in the past year. It is still recovering from heavy damages.” Gloriana looked away, then back and Yasmin.
Standing without high heels, they were almost the same height, five foot six. She took a deep breath. “And it’s my hometown.”
Yasmin nodded, trying to hide her surprise. “Well, that explains it.”
Just then. Gloriana’s watch beeped and a bird flew out of it, startling them both.
Gloriana regained her composure first, sounding relived but curt. “It’s time. Come with me. David, Violet, and Lucas will follow.”
She led Yasmin through a path of twisting corridors, all in the same shade of red. As they kept walking deeper and deeper into the mountain, Yasmin felt tingly.
There were a lot of old spells here. They were so strong that they both faltered slightly when walking. Yasmin wanted to sit down for a moment, but she had to nearly jog to keep up with Gloriana.
