Now, there was no time for doubt.
“I’m sure,” I said, nodding. I gave her a small smile. “Remember? Everything will be alright.”
“I’m worried about the cost,” she admitted.
“I know. I am, too.” I squeezed her hand. “But it’s the right thing to do.”
“Okay.” She looked nervous, but trusting. “Where you go, I will follow.”
Without another word, we headed for the Time Tower, walking right up to the front doors, our hands still tightly wound together.
As we came closer to the Time Tower, I thought about the battles that had taken place here. There was the one where Gwen and Adam had been captured, and I managed to get to them before I was attacked by Dante, and then there was the one where I’d been captured, and Elysian and Starry Knight came to rescue me.
Neither of these instances made me feel particularly optimistic.
I felt my remaining optimism plummet as we walked into the main lobby.
Rosemary was waiting for us.
How could a grandma manage to look so sinister? I wondered as she frowned at us through the curtain of white hair covering the one side of her face.
If I made it through this, I vowed, I would maintain a healthier respect for old people.
“You’re early,” she murmured, clearly pleased (for once).
“We want Lyra and Lucas back,” Raiya told her. “Give them to us. They’re just children. They don’t deserve to be tangled up in this.”
Rosemary arched an eyebrow. “Do you think I deserved to be ‘tangled up’ in Draco’s scheme for world domination?” she asked. “He was a clever one, you know, and charming and handsome when he wanted to be.”
“This is not about you,” Raiya said. “This is about them. They’re just children.”
“Children who have the powers of an Astroneshama,” Rosemary said.
There was an angry huff from behind her, as Dante and several other agents led Lyra and Lucas out to the lobby. I was gratified to see that he had a black bruise under his eye.
“We’re not children,” Lyra said, staunchly defiant despite her hostage position.
I almost laughed. Relief cascaded through me as I saw them, recognizing them as my children, and wondering, much as Raiya had earlier, how I could have missed that they were ours. Lyra’s brown hair had the same copper undertones as Raiya’s, hidden at first sight, but undeniable once they were seen. Lucas had my eyes, blue and sharp and compelling.
In truth, instead of almost laughing, I probably should’ve admitted I almost wept. Pride, and pain, and love, and recognition all bit at me and my bitter heart. I was so joyful to know them, and to know that they were mine.
Even their foibles seemed to only endear them more to me. I watched as Lucas stuck his tongue out at Rosemary while her attention was on me and Raiya. An agent, one I didn’t recognize, caught him by the arm and accosted him.
Lucas only responded by spitting on him.
That kid. He’s going to cause a lot of his own suffering in life if he’s not careful.
Just like me. A strange mix of pride and pity overcame me as I shot him a warning glare, much as Cheryl had done to me earlier.
I turned my attention to Dante, who only narrowed his gaze. He turned his focus back to Rosemary as she stepped toward me.
“The kids are still not something that you collect,” Raiya told Rosemary.
“You didn’t enjoy visiting with your grandma?” Rosemary scoffed. “You of all people should know how capable I am when it comes to getting my way.”
“I, of all people, know your way can be thwarted,” Raiya shot back.
Rosemary’s thin lips tightened. “Not this time,” she said. “I know how attached you are to children. You would do just about anything to keep them safe.”
Raiya said nothing.
I stepped forward, with the fabric in my hand. With its languid limpness, it was almost hard for me to feel like I was holding it. “Here,” I said. “Here’s the fabric of Time. Give us the kids.”
Rosemary nodded to Dante, and he brought them forward.
“If you think of attacking us, any of you,” Rosemary said, “you will be shot instantly.”
“If you think of double-crossing us,” I replied, “you will be destroyed.”
“I don’t have to think about that at all,” Rosemary said as she grasped onto the fabric. Her eyes, old and dim, seemed to shimmer as she beheld its beauty. “Finally, it’s mine.”
While Rosemary practically drooled over her acquisition, Dante shoved Lyra and Lucas into us.
Instantly, I was completely distracted as my arms caught Lyra, while Raiya embraced Lucas. Their wings flapped excitedly as Raiya and I held onto them.
“Are you alright?” Raiya asked as she looked Lucas over, checking his face for scrapes or bruises. “Did they hurt you?”
“I knew you’d come,” Lucas said. “I didn’t cry.”
“Much.” Lyra frowned at him.
“You did, too,” he argued back.
I cupped Lyra’s cheek and ran my other hand through her hair, ruffling the feathers playfully on the small wings on either side of her head. “We’re just glad you’re okay.”
“Why are you giving them what they want?” Lyra asked as I knelt down beside her. “You’re not supposed to negotiate with terrorists.”
“I’ll remind you of that later, when we talk about your punishment for getting captured in the first place,” I told her.
She shot me a dirty look as Dante stepped forward.
“It’s time for you to come with us now,” he said.
“We’re not going anywhere with you,” I shot back. “All Rosemary wanted was the fabric of Time.”
Dante shook his head. “Since when is SWORD worried about keeping its word? She needs you,” he said, nodding toward Raiya, “if she wants to bring down Time’s power.”
“She can’t control me,” Raiya insisted. But I could see her knuckles whiten as she gripped onto Lucas’ shoulders.
“Rosemary seems to think differently,” he said, “especially since we have all of you surrounded now.”
More agents came out of the woodwork, all armed and looking dangerous.
“This wasn’t part of the deal,” I said.
“Deal with it,” Dante replied.
Something inside of me snapped. I launched myself at him, power swelling up inside of me.
Immediately, Lucas and Lyra conjured up their powers, covering Raiya while she went on the offensive. I didn’t have to study her to know she was furious, and she was not about to let SWORD complete their betrayal.
It was for the best that I didn’t try to watch her, since I was engaged in my own raging battle, as Dante finally fell under my onslaught.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Dante hissed as he twisted away from my attacks.
“I could’ve asked the same of you this morning when you were holding my family hostage,” I shot back. I pounced on him, getting him into a headlock.
“Be grateful that’s all we did, under my direction,” Dante grunted as he struggled to breathe. “She would’ve done much worse.”
Shots rang out, and I nearly stilled.
“Get them,” Rosemary called, and I turned just enough to watch as Raiya managed to knock the smoking gun out of her hand.
“Give me the fabric of Time back,” Raiya yelled, reaching out to snatch it from Rosemary’s hand.
She was within millimeters of grabbing it when other agents hurried to stop her, and it was only when they tackled Raiya that Rosemary was able to escape.
“Raiya!” I called, frightened for her. I grew even more angry as I saw Rosemary scurry to an elevator and push the button. As the doors closed, I could see a feral pleasure on her crooked face.
Dante managed to slip out of my loosened grip, but he didn’t move. “Go and get Rosemary,” he said. “She’s got a vial of Starry Knight’s blood ready. If she can destroy the fabric, she’ll be
able to bring down Time’s power and enter into the Celestial Realm.”
Wouldn’t she still need a boat like the Meallán or something, though?
But then, Rosemary had studied Draco for years. Maybe she learned another trick or two along the way.
“Why should I trust you?” I asked, my voice scathing as another one of my kicks landed soundly.
Dante grunted. “You can’t,” he said, “but you can trust me more than you can trust Rosemary, can’t you?”
I hated—hated hated hated—that he had a point.
“Look,” he said, “Rosemary told me that if anything went wrong tonight, and it was my fault, that she would kill Mikey and Gwen. You have to stop her if we’re going to do this. Go! She’s likely headed for the roof. She has a helicopter on standby.”
When I said nothing, he sighed. “Please, Hamilton, for Mikey! Don’t let the world end because of my mistakes.”
It was perhaps naïve, but I didn’t think he would lie about Mikey to me.
I shoved him down on the ground one last time, getting the last rush of satisfaction as his head hit the floor, and then hurried off to follow Rosemary.
Several guards, seeing Dante lying still on the ground, hurried to distract me.
“Where are you going?” Raiya asked as she pushed her way through our opponents to fight by my side.
I watched as she unleashed another round of energy at the SWORD agents, careful not to hit Lyra, who was using her scepter to blast guards, while Lucas used his shield to protect her from any oncoming bullets or other weaponry.
“I’m going to get Rosemary,” I said, “before she uses or destroys the fabric of Time. Can you handle things down here?” I hit another guard, sending him flying back.
Raiya’s hands filled with violent light as she prepared another attack. “I don’t like letting you go by yourself,” she called back to me.
“It’s just for a little while,” I said. “And I did say I would be the one to take care of Rosemary. For you, and for our children.”
I swiped at another agent’s face, before getting hit. I pushed back. “Please, Raiya, just stay here and finish these guys off with the kids. And then you can come and join me, okay?”
She pursed her lips together, and despite the intensity of the battle, I knew she was fighting a bigger war inside of her.
“Alright,” she finally said.
After a brief respite in fighting, I reached over and kissed her soundly on the lips, and then headed off. “I love you,” I told her before I dashed away and she was pulled back into battle.
“Lucas, Lyra,” I called, “cover your mother for me while I’m gone!”
They both whirled around at me, and at the shock on their faces, I recalled they didn’t know I knew the truth.
“Keep fighting,” I yelled, even as I tried not to laugh at their frightened expressions. “Go!”
Fortunately, they regained their focus, and I saw them as they hurried off just seconds before I burst into the stairwell.
My wings were out of practice, but I knew the moment the fiery feathers caught the wind I didn’t have to worry. Apparently, flying was just like riding a bike; it was something you never forgot, no matter how long it had been since your last flight.
Navigating the stairs took more work; it was one thing to fly in a straight line, but it was hard to duck through the different levels, the crisscrossing patterns of stairs and doorways.
I could hear the hum of a nearby helicopter when I arrived at the roof.
Bursting through the door, I watched as Rosemary, startled, turned to face me.
Against the lights of the nighttime city, she was the perfect-looking villain out to destroy the world.
“It’s you,” she muttered accusingly. “You can’t stop me.” She held up the fabric of Time in one hand and a small glass container in the other.
“I can see why you would think that,” I said. “You’ve managed to fly under the radar for years, using SWORD to collect government favors, find sponsors and donors, using your influence to wield power for your own goals.”
“That’s right,” Rosemary asserted, her face wrinkling further in the windy night.
“That’s the thing,” I said. “You’re not right. It’s a logical fallacy to assume you’ll win just because you’ve been winning for so long.”
Rosemary held up the fabric menacingly. As I stepped up to stop her, she poured the vial’s contents out onto the fabric of Time.
I watched as the blood seeped into the fabric, and I faltered. From what I knew from Raiya, her blood would only break the seal she’d placed on it, and it had already been broken by Lyra and Lucas.
But when I saw the fabric light up, each of its threads shining brightly as they separated and merged together anew, I wondered if it was indeed too late.
Rosemary laughed at me. “You’re too late,” she said. “I can now bypass Time’s barrier. The bloodwater is nearly mine, at last.”
I watched as she stuck her hand into the fabric, shocked to see it disappear. She’s going to use its power to transport herself, I thought. It had to be something like that, right?
When I rushed forward, I watched as Rosemary sneered at me. “There’s nothing you can do,” she said as I headed toward her.
Before I could attempt to prove her wrong, the fabric’s light began to burn even more brightly; and then, all of a sudden, it wasn’t just light, but fire—fire I recognized.
There was a small explosion and an all-encompassing spark of light knocking me down to my knees. My eyes watered and shut at the same time Rosemary screamed in pain.
When I opened them again, I saw the skyline fill up with the dark green outline of a changeling dragon as he burst through the other side of the fabric, breathing down another burst of celestial fire.
“Elysian!” I called, as happiness and hope merged inside of me.
Rosemary dropped the fabric as she fell over. I jumped to my feet and rushed forward.
“Elysian!” I cried again.
My dragon roared back in greeting. “Kid,” he called, the wide range of his sharp teeth gleaming as he smiled back. I hurried over to him and grabbed him around his neck.
“I can’t believe it’s you,” I told him. “I thought you died.”
“I did,” he said. “Remember? I had to repent and be born again. Dragons and Stars have different ways of doing things than humans.” He wrinkled his long nose. “Let me assure you, humans have it much easier.”
I hugged him harder. “I missed you.”
His one claw came around and clasped me to his underbelly. “I missed you, too,” he said. “But there are other things we have to take care of first.”
“Oh, right. Rosemary.” I glanced over at her as she cowered on the ground, using the ledge of the Time Tower to crawl away from Elysian as she clutched at her bleeding arm.
“I wasn’t talking about her,” he said. “The Prince told me that her time for judgment has come. I was talking about these guys.”
He nudged me with his nose affectionately, pushing my attention to where the fabric had fallen behind him.
Seven small shadows of light danced behind me. Instantly, I felt the shock of surprise and recognition hit me.
Each of their faces came into focus as I ran toward my children.
They were light and inhumanly solid, but I touched their faces and ruffled their hair, and I felt the full feeling of love pouring out of them.
I turned back to Elysian. “You brought me my kids,” I said.
He nodded. “Yep, and they’re yours, alright,” he said. “Quite annoying, even if they are capable of being charming.”
“I never thought I would get to meet them,” I said.
“They live up with me, at Alora’s castle,” Elysian told me. “They help Aleia take care of Alora. Adonaias himself comes and visits us every so often.”
I felt the full emotion rush into me.
Before I could tell each of them how h
appy I was to meet them, a shot rang out from behind me.
Rosemary had managed to balance herself against the ledge of the building. In her remaining hand, she held her gun steady.
“That’s enough,” she called, as the celestial fires of Elysian’s attack continued to rage on the rooftop, lighting up the tower’s antenna like a giant birthday cake candle. “Hand over the fabric of Time, or I’ll kill everyone here.”
We just stared at her. Elysian looked at her in casual boredom, and I was uncertain of how I could protect my children from her once more.
“I have enough rounds,” Rosemary yelled again. “I have enough for each of you!”
Elysian yawned.
Rosemary took that as an insult. She began firing away, and I felt the scream rise in my throat and release itself as the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth bullets burst out of her gun.
By the sixth, seventh, and eighth rounds, I realized that my kids, all seven of them, weren’t affected at all by her bullets.
But then, I reasoned, why would they? They were not of this world. Not anymore.
Rosemary gritted her teeth angrily, and I could see her skin tighten so much it seemed as though her head was a skull with hair.
The wind whipped passed, and she dropped her weapon. I saw, for the briefest second, the scars at the side of her cheek. There were four claw marks running down her face, the side normally covered with unevenly cut hair.
And then another shot rang out.
I squeezed my eyes at the sound as it blew from behind me.
I opened them up in time to watch as Rosemary screamed and fell backward, her balance lost, down to her death.
The echo of her cry called out long into the night. Before I could go over and see if I could catch her, the door behind me blew open.
Raiya, Lyra, and Lucas all appeared, sweaty and dirty from their battle down below.
“Hamilton,” Raiya called, and then she gasped at the sight before her. “Elysian?”
Everlasting Page 20
