Souls & Spectres: The Spectral Chronicles: Book 1
Page 16
Reese carefully explains the week I was held and the effects it had on me, making sure not to go into too much detail so as to trigger a response from me. I keep my head down, afraid to look at the King and Queen of Geochroma. When Reese finishes his explanation, there’s a moment of silence. Then, I sense movement and someone crouches in front of me. I look up to see the warm brown eyes of King Wilder.
“I am so sorry, Soleil,” he whispers, “But I want to assure you that we will not allow this to happen again.” He says it so fervently, that I almost can’t help but believe him. I nod, but Wilder stays put in front of me. “I know it’s hard to think about, so you can just nod ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to this question, okay?” he asks. I nod hesitantly. “Was Queen Astrid trying to force you to admit that your Gift to her son was faked?” I blink in surprise and nod harder. How did he know?
“How do you know that?” Reese voices my internal question, and I look to him thankfully. He reaches over and gives my hand a reassuring squeeze.
“Well,” Sage says, exchanging a glance with Wilder, “There’s no easy way to say it, so I’ll just be outright: almost all royal Resonations are faked, including that of King Zephyr and Queen Astrid.”
Chapter 33
Icarus
The four of us stare in shock at the King and Queen of Geochroma. Faked? “I don't understand,” I stammer, looking over at my angel, “What are you talking about? What do you mean ‘faked?’ I’ve been preparing my whole life for my Soul Finding so I can be king one day! How could it possibly be fake?”
King Wilder sighs, and moves back from where he is crouched in front of Soleil to sit beside his wife. “I understand your apprehension,” he explains, “But your parents wouldn’t have told you until your 21st birthday when you were supposed to go Soul Finding.”
Sage nods and jumps in, “You know almost nobody finds their Soulmate. The odds are astronomical. But as you said, you can’t be king or queen until you find a Soulmate. The people need to know that their monarchs are blessed with the Gift. It’s part of what gives our people the faith and courage to trust us to make the right decisions for everyone: because Soulmates know what it means to care so deeply that they can’t help but take care of their people.”
“She’s right,” Wilder adds, “That’s why royals are required to be Gifted. However, a hundred years ago, a Thalassian king couldn’t find his Soulmate. He panicked and found a way to fake it, thanks to some help from Sohalas. With the help from his parents, he chose a Thalassian noblewoman with powerful connections, strategically buried bombs around the world, and scheduled them all to set off at the same time. So, he got to marry a noblewoman and increase his family’s wealth and power, and the world thought there was a Resonation.”
“Ever since then, that was how royals found their spouses,” Sage elaborates, “They would turn 21 and their parents would reveal the hoax. However, the same trick that eluded the Gift is the same one that started the war for the Gift. Everyone was so paranoid of being found out and overthrown, that it became a race to find the cursed blade from the Story. It didn’t take long for the tension to overflow and become violent.”
“Sage and I are a bit of an oddity because we actually are Gifted,” Wilder smiles affectionately at his queen, “I was only 18 when we met. She was the new stablehand and I was absolutely obsessed with her.”
“‘Obsessed’ is right!” Sage smiles back at him, “He spent almost as much time in the stables as me!”
“One night I invited her out with Grove and I to a local bar,” Wilder continues, “We all got wildly drunk, and she thought it would be funny to put an apple on her head to test our knife throwing skills. Unsurprisingly, I nailed her in the head.”
“The knife exploded, and there was a huge Resonation!” Sage reveals, “Drunk off our asses, we were cheering and overjoyed. We spent the entire night in the bar with the rest of those drunks. Finally, morning came around, and we had to go see his parents. Still piss drunk.”
“They had already heard from the guards who escorted us to the bar about what happened, so they weren’t particularly surprised by our distinct lack of sobriety,” Wilder chuckles, “Once we sobered up, they explained everything.”
“So, my parents tortured Soleil because, what, their son was lucky enough to be Gifted for real?” I say, bewildered. Wilder and Sage shake their heads.
“Not quite,” Sage imparts, “Once they determined that this wasn’t a trick by Geochroma and Sohalas to install a Geochroman in another position of power, the problem became that you two present a significant threat to their reign and position in the continent.”
“You see, now that you two are truly Gifted, you could reveal the truth, and therefore, them,” Wilder says, “If the entire world discovered that their monarchs weren’t truly Gifted, there would be a massive upheaval. Kings and queens would be dethroned, the war would stop, and all their power would be stripped.”
“Wait, if the truth is the only thing keeping peace at bay, why don’t you two go public?” Soleil chimes in. I nod in agreement.
Sage sighs. “Unfortunately, we aren’t exactly the best choice for that role. If we came forward and said every single monarchy was faking the Gift except for us, how do you see that going over?”
“It would look like you were slinging mud to gain support, and instead of citizens becoming enraged at their own governments, they would become more defensive and fight even harder,” I assert, rubbing my hand across my forehead.
“Exactly,” Wilder says, “But you two are in the perfect position to reveal the truth!”
“Us? But we’re from two different countries! Not to mention that I’m just a foot soldier!” Soleil cries out.
“Exactly!” Wilder says again, “You two are from two different nations, so it won’t seem like a power grab for a single country. And Soleil,” he looks to my Soulmate, “Because you are not a royal, the people will be more inclined to side with you. You’re relatable. You’ve been what they’ve been through. You’re one of their own!”
“I’m still confused,” I jump back in, “Why would you even want us to tell everyone if it means you two could lose your thrones?”
Wilder and Sage exchange sad looks. “It’s because we love our people,” Sage whispers, “And forcing them to fight to find a weapon other power hungry people want isn’t fair to them. Or to any nation’s citizens.”
“If losing our position in the palace is the price to pay for the safety of our people, then so be it,” Wilder murmurs.
I can’t help but admire the couple. They are willing to give up everything so people have a voice. I look over at Soleil again, and I can see the admiration and care for the king and queen in her eyes. She senses my gaze and turns to look back at me. She gives me a smile, and squeezes my hand. I said I’d do anything to protect her. This is my chance.
“Okay, we’ll do it,” I turn back to Sage and Wilder, “But how do we do it from here? We are under constant surveillance by my mother. She could grab any one of us whenever she wants.”
“We thought the same thing,” Sage agrees, “So we would like to offer you two a place at our palace. There, you will be free from King Zephyr and Queen Astrid, and we can make some plans.” I look at Soleil, and she has desperation and hope written across her face. I have to keep her safe.
“We accept the position at your palace under the condition that our friends Wren and Juniper can escort us and live under your protection,” I declare. I look at Wren for the first time during this conversation, and gives me a thankful smile.
“Of course!” Wilder exclaims, “We wouldn’t have it any other way!”
“Reese,” Soleil leans over and whispers, “What about Aurora? Will she be okay?”
I smile at her concern. “She’ll be fine,” I promise, “Mont Tien’s most sacred law is that nobody may harm a healer.” Soleil relaxes under my reassurance.
“When do we leave?” I ask the Geochromans.
All of a sudden,
Wilder’s brother, Grove, comes sprinting around the corner, being chased by a dozen palace guards.
“Now,” Wilder announces.
Chapter 34
Icarus
Sage and Wilder start running to the back of the palace. Wren pulls Juniper behind them, and I force Soleil into motion where she was frozen, staring at the incoming guards. The six people with the king and queen stay put, pulling out various weapons. I don’t stop to see how far behind the guards are.
Soleil finally starts picking up the pace, but her heavy dress is clearly weighing her down. Worried about her tripping, I stop for a split second to scoop her up. I put her legs around my waist and tuck her skirt up so she hugs me while we run.
Sage and Wilder lead us around some walls until we come to a dead end in a rear garden. The six of us stand there, looking frantically for a way out.
“We’re trapped!” Juniper yells.
“Wait for it…” Sage mumbles nervously. Wait for wha-
Suddenly we hear a loud noise. From beyond the wall, a helicopter rises, a ladder hanging over the side.
“Go, go, go!” Wilder shouts at us.
Wren goes up first, followed by Juniper. I swing Soleil around so she’s on my back, and climb up after them. The helicopter is a standard military issue for large companies, so it has plenty of seating for all of us. I place Soleil down in the chopper, and immediately push her into a seat and start buckling her in. I look over and Wren is doing the same to Juniper.
Once Soleil is secured, I hop back over to the open side of the helicopter. Sage is climbing the ladder with Wilder close behind. I hold a safety handle and lean over to grab Sage’s hand and pull her in. Safely in the chopper, I do the same to Wilder. Wilder helps secure Sage into a seat, then joins me at the door.
“We aren’t rising!” I yell at him over the noise of the blades.
“We have to wait for-” Wilder starts to yell back, then we see Grove run into view. The crowd of guards that were chasing him have been reduced to just two, but they are catching up. Grove leaps for the ladder, and grabs tight.
“Let’s go!” Wilder yells into a comm on his wrist. The helicopter starts to ascend, and I watch as Grove has to kick a guard off the ladder. Grove climbs up, and I nervously wait for him to fall off. Instead, he pulls himself up and into the chopper. Wilder pats his brother on the back, and I close the door, thrusting the interior into silence.
“Well done, Grovey!” Wilder exclaims.
“If you call me Grovey one more time,” Grove says breathlessly, “I’ll throw you out the side of the helicopter.” Wilder just laughs and helps Grove to his feet. Grove looks around and his eyes land on me. “Ah, Prince Icarus,” he professes, “Great to meet you, buddy.” He shakes my hand and claps me on the shoulder. I’m thoroughly startled at his nonchalance at royalty, but I guess I shouldn’t be. He is a royal himself. Grove then turns to Soleil. “It is an honor to meet you, Miss Soleil,” he declares and gives her a deep bow. She smiles at him.
“Great to meet you, buddy,” she replies. Wilder and I burst out laughing, and Grove chuckles.
“I knew I’d like you,” he tells her with a wink. He proceeds to introduce himself to Wren and Juniper, and Wren nearly beats the tar out of him for “undressing Juniper with his eyes,” but eventually, we are all seated and buckled in.
Wilder and Sage allow us to travel in silence, and I’m grateful. We all need a little time to process what just happened. I sit beside Soleil, and hold her hand. We gaze out the front windshield, watching the night travel past us.
After about an hour, we slow down and carefully touch down.
“Welcome to Geochroma!” Sage announces excitedly. The chopper powers down and I can hear crickets and frogs outside. Everyone unbuckles themselves, and Grove opens the door so we can exit. Soleil and I stay seated. Once everyone is out, I turn to Soleil.
“Are you ready?” I ask her quietly. She hesitates, then reaches her hand out to touch my cheek.
“I think that as long as I have you, I’ll be ready for anything,” she whispers. I smile, and press a gentle kiss to her forehead.
“Alright, angel,” I stand and extend my hand to her, “Let’s start a revolution.”