The Lost Heir

by Allison Whitmore

  "Okay, let's get going," said Franklin.

  "I have to use the bathroom," Isabella announced suddenly.

  "What? Now?" Neeta asked. "We need to get them in line," she told Franklin.

  "It's better than having to take her when we get to the city."

  Neeta sighed. "Fine. I'll take my group, and we'll wait for you there. If anything, I can get them safely in line and then come back for you."

  "Let's just meet at the big clock instead. That'll be easier." Franklin turned to Isabella. "Okay, hurry up."

  Isabella dipped through the exit and scoured the corridors, looking for Colin. Men in Brotherhood gear walked in and out of various rooms, eyeing her as they passed. Finally, she came upon a large room that looked like a hub. Just as she was about to go through the doors, someone pulled her collar. It was Franklin. "The bathroom's the other way."

  "Let go of me!" she shrieked.

  "Whatever you're up to, you need to drop it." He released her from his grasp. "You can't be late for the sage. It's a rite of passage."

  "I've had enough rites of passage to last me a lifetime!"

  Franklin's eyes flickered with understanding. "The Greens of the Valley are... Look, don't tell anyone I told you this, but they are affiliated with not only Jack Heel but all sorts of dark stuff."

  "You don't say," Isabella said, hand on hip.

  "You think you're cute, don't you?" His eyes darted across her face.

  She blushed and looped a loose hair behind her ear. "No, why would you say that?" He wasn't acting like the Franklin they’d spent the solstice with. Of course, he'd been in front of his parents and aunt most of that time…

  "Come on. We gotta go." Isabella dropped her arms to her sides and reluctantly agreed. She knew she needed to talk to Colin about Jack and Pythian and that damn Violet Fire. Not to mention, the thought of him possibly being her brother still haunted her mind. Unfortunately, all of that would have to wait. At least the others were going to be there with her. If anything, they had to stick together.

  When they returned, Isabella was surprised to see Neeta and the others still there. "I decided I prefer us to arrive at the same time. Let's get a move on," she said with authority.

  She took Xander and Cleo to the silver-and-black car, leaving Isabella, Micah, and Seth to go in the sparkling sapphire vehicle under Franklin's watch. Franklin insisted Isabella sit up front with him. Neither Seth nor Micah seemed to like that idea. Micah's disdain seemed due to the fact that he wanted to play with the gauges; Seth probably wanted to drive. The dashboard lit up, and a digital speedometer and fuel gauge whirred left then right.

  "Interface activated. Welcome, Franklin Vanderpole." He punched some sort of code into a keypad above his head, moved a copper lever up and down in front of him, and then flipped three out of five switches next to the lever. As a map with coordinates of an elaborate rail system filled the front windshield, he typed another code into the keypad, and then the car shot off like a stone from a slingshot into the dark cave.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Empath Hall

  Micah stared up at the street clock perched on four iron legs several stories above their heads at the base of the steps of Empath Hall. “A four-faced clock, one facing every direction so people can see it from all sides. Very smart. I love it. It even has steam pumping out of each corner—like literally steam-punk.”

  As he stepped out of the car, Seth looked up at the Hall.

  “Those cars were fun, but look at this place!”

  The sight of the enormous crowd overwhelmed Isabella, and she worked doubly to keep her attention on her friends. “Hey, Seth, maybe you should get your own bullet car.”

  Seth's eyes bulged. “Yes. Can I?”

  “After you get your zip license, yes,” said Franklin. “They aren't that hard to obtain. You just have to learn how to type in coordinates and know what to do when they break down. That's pretty much it.”

  “Sweet.”

  Neeta had gone to find out which door the debuts had to line up at for an audience with the sage-in-residence. According to Franklin on the ride over, Empath Hall was very strictly guarded and apparently had a lot going on under its roof. For instance, the Courthouse and the Shadow Watch offices were housed inside, as were the postal service, business affairs, and customs. The building was also home to the Council Knights, which, according to Franklin, was an intelligence group connected to the Light Council. There was also the Light Council office and the Empath Network, which operated like a telegraph system of sorts. Then there was the Stockade, which was the jailhouse that held petty thieves and criminals awaiting trial. Those who were sentenced for any more than a month’s time were sent to Diablo Island, hundreds of miles away through the Black Underground, in the middle of a piranha-infested body of water known as Napoleon's Loch.

  “You'll all get them eventually.” Franklin was still talking about bullet cars; Seth continued to salivate. “That is, if you want one. Most of the Society chooses to travel by foot, train, or canal.”

  “Not me,” said Seth.

  “How come we haven't seen the train yet?” asked Isabella.

  Just then, a loud whistle blew, and a rumbling was heard beneath them. “That's the local. It doesn't have many stops. Just picks up at Ports 1 and 2, Empath Hall, and Union Station in downtown L.A. The Eagle just picks up here and shoots east.”

  “So, you're saying we can get to New York from the train?”

  “New York is a stop, and then it goes east, like I said.”

  The kids looked between each other. “You mean it goes under the ocean?” asked Xander.

  “It's super-fast, so, yeah,” said Franklin. “But, access to the international line is limited—it's reserved for only government officials these days.”

  “Why?”

  “Safety reasons.” Franklin shrugged.

  “This place is freaked out, if you ask me,” said Cleo.

  “No, it's cool. There's, like, everything here,” said Xander.

  “I guess,” said Cleo.

  “So maybe all that stuff we consider myths are actually real. For example, maybe dragons?” Xander asked, looking at Franklin with hope.

  Franklin shrugged. “Sadly, they went extinct a long time ago, but that fire-breathing nonsense is all fiction.”

  “Mermaids?”

  “A hoax.”

  “Unicorns?”

  “A guy with a narwhal horn, a horse, and a strange sense of humor.”

  “Hmm. Can empaths talk to animals or communicate with nature or anything?”

  “Well, there are these creatures we call morphlings. They can actually shape-shift from human-like form and communicate with both animals and humans, but other than a general understanding with animals, most empaths have no real ability to communicate with them.”

  Xander looked slightly disappointed. Isabella couldn't help but giggle, because she knew how much Xander loved the fantasy worlds he lived in when watching and creating movies. Now, they were actually in one of those fantasy worlds, and it definitely wasn't a movie.

  “Giving another history lesson, Franklin?” asked Neeta as she returned to the spot where they'd been waiting for her. Franklin blushed, and Isabella smiled in response.

  “It's still fascinating, learning all about this place. Half of me doesn't believe it, but the other half understands it perfectly,” Isabella said sweetly.

  “You'll go up when that very nice man at the top of the steps calls for you,” Neeta said with disdain, gesturing up at a sour-looking man holding a blow-horn.

  “So, how come you're in the Brotherhood, Neeta?” Seth asked callously. “I mean, you're a girl.” The insult caused Isabella to give him an annoyed look.

  “Don't mind him—he is still learning how impressive women can be,” Isabella said through a clenched smile. Seth looked back with seeming resentment but didn't say another word.

  “No, it's okay. The Brotherhood is an expansion of Colin's original coh
ort. They all happened to be male, so they named themselves the Midnight Brotherhood. When he lost three members of his cohort, he recruited me before opening up the Brotherhood to several others. You can never replace your original cohort, but Colin has the next best thing—us.”

  “Call me stupid, but what do you mean by cohort?” asked Isabella. “That's the second time today it's been mentioned.”

  Neeta looked exasperated. “You mean, Colin didn't explain this to you?”

  “We haven't really had a chance to speak in private yet,” said Isabella.

  “Well, it's like...”

  “Debuts!” A thin-faced man with a pencil mustache cried out from the center entrance at the top of the steps. “The sage is ready to see you. Please line up single file along the red velvet ropes and wait for your name to be called by Miss Doty, who is stationed to my right. You will then proceed one by one as your name is called. Please present your certificate of clearance at the podium before entering.” A woman with droopy cheeks and iron-flat mousy brown hair stood next to him in a tweed suit, holding a clipboard.

  Miss Doty’s strict, high-pitched voice added, “Debuts, remember. The portal will close at midnight on December thirty-first. You will not have a chance to consult any of the sages after Wintertide for that reason, so make this count!”

  Her condescending tone made Isabella wanting to rebel against her, but she knew she could not. This was a ceremonial rite of passage that she’d had no idea about until today. Didn’t most things like that get some sort of mental preparation? She wondered how many of the debuts around her had known about being an empath for their whole lives—some? Or none at all?

  “We’re grabbing grubs while you wait,” said Neeta. “Good luck, guys.”

  Neeta and Franklin took off toward lines of hungry empaths waiting at food stalls on the other side of the Avenue.

  Isabella and her friends filed up the steps of Empath Hall behind the small crowd of young people who dutifully queued along the center steps. Isabella folded in last after her friends. Micah and Seth were getting excited as their turns grew closer.

  “Seth, you should ask if we can go in at the same time. Maybe they'll let us, since we're brothers.” Seth looked at Micah with a smile.

  “Maybe they will.” Sure enough, Seth and Micah were let in together, followed by Cleo and Xander. Twenty minutes passed, and Isabella was getting bored.

  Isabella heard her name being called from behind her. Whipping around, she realized who was shouting for her attention.

  With copper curls as ratty as ever, pinned to her head like a nineteenth-century street urchin, Isabella’s new little morphling friend waved as she bounced up the steps.

  “Hi, Mimi!”

  “Are you here to see the sage?”

  “Yes. I have no idea what to expect, though.”

  “I figured you might be in attendance, so I was hoping I'd find you here.”

  Isabella grew concerned. “Why were you looking for me?”

  Before Mimi could respond, Seth and Micah's boisterous laughs could be heard from up the steps. “That was pretty awesome,” Micah said.

  “Yeah, this stuff is kinda cool.” Isabella could tell Seth was enjoying it just as much as Micah was, but his bravado exterior was keeping his enthusiasm contained. “Izzy.” His voice warmed as he spoke to her. “The sage explained everything to us. Everything makes so much more sense now.”

  “That's why I was looking for you,” Mimi interrupted. “Right now...” But before Isabella could respond, Cleo dashed out from the doorway with a look of satisfaction on her face.

  “That was quite interesting, even though I knew most of what she told me already.” Isabella held back a laugh. Cleo was always thinking she was a step ahead of everyone else.

  She saw Colin emerge from a door at the far end of the building, followed by Max; they had dark weapons, what looked like handles of daggers, piercing from their clothing. Isabella remained still, remembering what Pythian had said about not trusting them. What were they doing here?

  “I knew just as much as you did before seeing the sage,” Xander chimed in. “It was really cool, though. Oh, and it should almost be your turn, Izzy. All of us have already gone. They'll probably yell your name any sec—”

  “Foxworthy, Isabella!” This time, her name was being called from the podium. She started up the steps but stopped as a sharp shriek peeled through her ears. Above her, purple bolts of lightning tore at the false sky. A harsh cackle broke through the panic of people as they evacuated the steps of Empath Hall.

  “Isabella, he's coming. Run!” As Isabella turned to look for Mimi, she saw nothing but a small gray catbird flying away furiously.

  Jack.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Jack

  It was happening again. The air turned into ice; Isabella felt the winds attacking her from opposite directions. Fierce bolts of purple light pierced the darkening sky. She was being targeted. And this time, she and Seth were not alone. Terror raced through the area as the dangerous attacks of Mother Nature pummeled the ground. Death hung in the air.

  The panic of the crowd rang through her pores. It was as if she could feel the empaths agreeing on an evacuation strategy in the midst of possible doom. The empaths poured into dark corners of the Avenue as maniacal laughter filled the air.

  Bolts plowed into the earth, shattering the ground, and then evaporated into a thick cloud of violet dust. Men with heavy boots emerged from the smoke, banging their tall sticks on the ground. The Jackboots. They wove through the smoke-like ghosts in search of victims to horrify. Isabella stood frozen on the steps of Empath Hall. She could still see Seth and the others, but her vision slowly began to blur.

  “Come to me, diadem child.” The raspy, stern voice filtered into her ears over the sounds of furious light cracking the sky. The panic around her faded, and Isabella fell completely attuned to the voice. Ice coursed through her veins as the man approached her. “I'm not here to hurt you, dear one. I'm here to help you. Let me save you... again. Wasn't once enough for you to trust me?” Then, as quickly as it came, the voice melted away, and she snapped out of the spell to find Seth clutching her hand.

  “Izzy! Come on, move. Please!” His warm eyes broke through the cold fear that had seized her. It felt as if something protective was surrounding her, buffering the chaos beyond.

  Her eyes shifted to a Jackboot bearing down on Micah. “Seth! Your brother...!” Seth pulled her behind him as he rushed to Micah's side. He only let go of her when it came time to jump on the thug's back, to stop him from creaming his brother.

  Isabella saw Cleo and Xander. Xander was using one of his camera's flashes to blind the group of flying beings up in the sky. They looked like faces she'd seen before: gnarled versions of people she'd met in Wish Valley. The Greens. Cleo swung her heavy purse, knocking several out of the air.

  One of them homed in on Isabella. It shot toward her. Isabella clutched her necklace, hoping it would generate whatever she needed to protect herself. But as it neared her, it turned off course, as if it could not touch her. Isabella looked around for Neeta and Franklin, but neither of them was in sight. She couldn’t see Colin or Max, either.

  A large, blinding bolt dropped from the clouds; as it erupted, the smoke cleared to reveal a shadowy man. He wore dark purplish clothes, and his hair was accented by a lick of violet beneath a black top hat. His evil smile grew large; his sharp eyebrows punctuated his appearance. She'd seen him the night of the solstice, when the fair folk completed their ritual. His features were cold. There was nothing warm or friendly in his visage.

  But how could he be so young? He was her Uncle Robert’s brother, wasn’t he? Seth and Micah appeared at Isabella's side. Cleo and Xander were just behind them.

  “Well, well. Look at all of this unnecessary intrusion.” His confidence and charisma smoothed over Isabella in a way that she could not understand.

  The five teens stood together as the suave man walked cl
oser. “Step aside, children. I have a few things to discuss with your young diadem.” With a wave of his hand, Seth and Micah flew through the air and landed in a clump at the bottom of the steps of Empath Hall. Xander rushed forward to avenge his friends, but he and Cleo soon met a similar fate.

  “Jack…” She whispered.

  “At your service.”

  “Iz…” Seth coughed in pain.

  Isabella swallowed. Her friends were getting hurt. She did not like this. “Have you been looking for me?” Isabella asked Jack.

  “As I have mentioned, Diadem, we have things to discuss. But you must come with me to achieve them. It pertains to the safety of your grandmother.”

  “I have a question.”

  “We are wasting time.”

  “Izzy…” Cleo was frozen in a petrified state along with the others. It was like Jack was holding them down invisibly. Terror ate at her chest. Pythian had been right.

  “I need you to come with me.”

  She started to feel a gravitational pull on her body.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I need you to come with me.”

  “Wait…!” She looked at her friends, who’d been released by Jack’s invisible hold but were now held back by the Jackboots gang: the same men who’d attacked her and Seth. Was Jack their leader? It would make sense.

  As frightened as Isabella was, she felt compelled to go to him. His essence beckoned her; it made her want to forget everything she’d learned about him and trust him. No. She tried shaking it off, but she couldn’t.

  “You need me. You need your lost heir.”

  “Those disasters down in the tunnel… and the lightning.” She almost had to force the words out. It was like her tongue did not want her to speak the truth. “And the twisters, those elements that attacked me and Seth. They were you?”

  Jack laughed. “You’re almost clever, but not quite.”

  Seth watched her as she kept her eyes on Jack; he stared at her as a soft, dark shadow enveloped him. Pythian’s warning replayed in her mind as she looked into his dark eyes.