by Riley Walker
We only walk about a block before coming to Ruby’s Shoppe. You can’t miss her bright yellow awning with her name in red written across it. The bell above the door chimes as we enter, and her head pops up behind the counter. Ruby gives me a huge smile as she moves forward for a hug.
“Franchesca, what a surprise, I am so happy to see you. What can I do for you? Oh, your eyes! Do you need another amulet?”
I give her a bright smile, “No Ruby, we are no longer wearing our amulets. It’s time we faced our future and stopped hiding. Don’t you agree?”
Ruby pats my hand in a motherly gesture, “Franchesca, I know you will do what is best for the Kingdoms and our people.”
Not wanting to be ignored any longer, Shelby skips over and interrupts us. “Hi Miss Ruby. We haven't been formally introduced yet. I’m Shelby, Frannie’s best friend, and you are the first witch I’ve ever met. Can you do spells? Oh, or can you make me a potion to make me taller?” Shelby looks at Ruby with her big doe eyes, ready for whatever potion she can possible talk Ruby into making for her.
Ruby gives us a full on belly laugh, “Oh dear, I can’t make you taller, but I have a potion that might calm you down some.”
Colton shouts, “Yes! Maybe this trip will be worth it after all.”
Shelby turns around and smacks Colton upside the head. “Hush you big brute, or I’ll have Hawkeye peck your eyes out.”
Hawkeye holds his hands up, “Leave me out of this. I’m only here to watch the Princess’s body. I mean umm, guard the princess.” He then turns around to stare out the window while trying to hide his blushing face.
Ruby grabs my hand again to get my attention, “Franchesca, if you are not here for an amulet, then what do you need?”
“I’m not fully recovered from my injury yet. My body feels fine, but I am so tired. Is there anything you can give me that might help?”
She looks at me with a knowing smirk and discreetly whispers, “I believe that once you are fully mated your energy will return. Until then, I have a potion that will give you a little extra energy to balance you out.”
I look at her with confusion, “What do you mean fully mated?” I lean in close to her ear and say, “I can guarantee you that I have mated them both. Fully.”
She tries to hide her amusement, but it's no use. “Franchesca, if you have fully mated with Edrik and Rook then you have one, or more, fated mates still out there.”
What the hell is she saying to me? More fated mates? Oh, she must be crazy cause I can barely juggle the two I have now. I’m still standing there in complete shock when I hear a high pitched squeal.
“Frannie, look! This one says it’s a love potion. Do you think it really works?” Shelby is holding up a bottle and giving it an intense once over.
“Of course it works child. Why would I sell something that does not work, but be careful what you wish for. Last week a commoner bought some of that potion hoping that the lady of the house he works at would fall madly in love with him. Unfortunately for him, while he was feeding the sheep in the pasture, the potion accidentally fell into the water trough and now the sheep constantly hump him everywhere he goes. Poor fellow, he cannot get away from them.”
We all stop what we are doing and stare at Ruby while she goes back to work. I turn to Shelby and see her, very carefully, place the potion back on the shelf and back away.
Dinner tonight is a casual affair, against my Mother’s wishes. The table is full with Dad on one end, Winston on the other. Mother, Edrik, Rook, and Gerald are to the right of Dad, while myself, Colton, Shelby, and Mary sit to his left. Everyone is talking about their day and Shelby is currently sharing the horrible sheep story with Rook and Edrik. Both look equally as horrified as we were when Ruby told us about the poor man.
Rook is sharing a story about the first time he saw Shelby as a penguin and we all begin laughing. Sherry, the new chef, enters the dining room carrying a serving platter full of meats. The vegetables, breads, glasses of water and wine have already been placed on the table. I decide tonight to stick to water. I had Ruby’s energy drink earlier and I am not sure how wine will affect it.
Colton starts to choke on a bite of food he just swallowed, and reaches for my untouched wine glass, finishing it all in one gulp.
“Geez, Colton, slow down on the drinking.” Shelby chuckles at him.
I glance over at Rook and notice him staring at Sherry with an odd look on his face. Before I can ask him what his problem is, I hear a chair thrown back and see Colton jerk to his feet. Both of his hands are grabbing a hold of his throat, and his face is turning an eerie shade of gray. His eyes find mine right before they roll to the back of his head.
10
Not A Situation
I immediately jump out of my chair, but I’m not fast enough to reach him before he crashes to the ground. I fall to my knees next to Colton, trying to figure out what to do. Shelby races to my side, getting in my face.
“Frannie! Frannie! Snap out of it, we have to give him CPR like we learned in MMA class. I’ll do mouth to mouth, you do chest compressions. Come on, Frannie. Remember what we learned.”
I come out of my stupor, and my instincts kick in. I immediately straddle him and place one hand in the center of his chest, my other hand on top of it. Shelby tilts his head back and takes a deep breath then blows into his mouth. Once she is done, she starts counting out the compressions for me. I put everything I have into each push on his chest. I look at Shelby, tears are streaming down her face. After counting to three, I stop and Shelby blows into his mouth again.
I’m not sure how long we continue trying to push life back into my best friend, when a set of hands cover mine. I look up into Edrik’s eyes, shaking my head at him to let me go so I can continue. A pair of arms wrap around my waist from behind and I am pulled away from Colton’s lifeless body.
“Noooo! Let me go! I can still save him, I know I can! Just let me go!” I’m thrashing and sobbing. I have no clue who has an iron grip on me.
I watch Rook put his hands under Shelby’s arms and pull her over into his lap. The only thing I can hear are the wails of pain coming from her.
“Let me go, Rook! I need to keep going. We have to save him.” She keeps screaming this over and over. “We have to save him. Why are you all just standing there?”
I slap my hands over my ears to drown out her screams. Why is she still screaming? Someone please shut her up.
“Please. Rook, we have to save him.” Her voice is becoming hoarse from screaming and her words, incoherent.
A pair of hands pull mine away from my ears. “I am so sorry, Princess.” I lift my head and look into Winston’s eyes. Turning around, I throw my arms around his neck and hold on with all I have.
“Please don’t let me go.” I whisper in his ear.
“Never, my Beloved. Never.”
“What the hell is going on?” Over Winston’s shoulder, I watch Hawkeye run into the dining room.
“Get over here and take Shelby.” Rook tells him with a crack in his voice.
I shift my head and watch Hawkeye sit on the ground and gently lift Shelby out of Rook’s lap. Rook jerks his chin at Edrik and the two of them take off toward the kitchen. I settle my head back into the crook of Winston’s neck while he runs his hand up and down my back, whispering words of comfort in my ear.
I look over at Colton once last time, silently begging him to wake up and tell us this was all a joke. One big freaking bad joke. He never stirs. Never moves. Never looks at me, yelling ‘Gotcha’!
Dad walks over to us and calmly tells Winston and Hawkeye, “Gentleman, get the ladies out of here so we can take care of the situation.”
“He is my best friend, not a damn situation!” Shelby yells at him.
He bends down, using his thumb to wipe the tears off her face. “I am sorry, Shelby. You are right. Colton is not a situation. Let Hawkeye take you out of here while we figure out the best thing to do for him. Can you do this for me, child?”
S
helby just nods her head and Hawkeye stands, lifting her in his arms and begins to carry her out of the room. Winston lifts me by my elbows, helping me get to my feet. I look up and see Mary and Gerald standing, holding onto one another, both with tears in their eyes. Winston begins to steer me out of the room when I notice my Mother still seated in her chair, a look of indifference on her face.
11
Tainted Wine
(Rook’s POV)
I run into the kitchen with Edrik right behind me. I am looking around frantically for anyone when Edrik grabs my arm, stopping me.
“What is going on, Rook? Why are we in the kitchen?”
“I knew that chef. I recognized her from somewhere, I just can’t place it. My gut is telling me we need to find her.”
“There is obviously no one here in the kitchen. Where is the rest of the staff? There should be at least ten people in here.”
I turn in a circle, my hands in my hair, trying to think. “I’m going to look outside, you take the tunnels leading out. Let’s meet where the tunnels open on the backside of the castle. We need to find that chef.”
Edrik runs down the hall, leading to the tunnels and I head out the back door. I step outside and almost trip. When I look down, I see the bodies of two soldiers and an empty bottle of wine. Both of their faces are the same grey color as Colton’s. I draw the sword I always keep on my side, and continue the path that will lead me to the tunnels entrances.
I see Edrik, his own sword is out and he looks like he has seen a ghost. “What happened?”
Edrik shakes his head. “I found the entire kitchen staff in the tunnels. They were all dead, all the same grey color. What is going on, Rook?”
“Did you see any empty bottles of wine near them? I found two soldiers and an empty one beside their bodies. Colton drank Cara’s wine, see a pattern?”
“I did see a bottle. Two actually. You think she poisoned the bottles? But if she did that, we all would be dead. All of us, except Chess, drank wine tonight.” Edrik is as confused right now as I am.
Edrik clenches his fist when he puts together what I just told him. “She only meant to kill Chess. Why only her? That makes no sense. If he wants the crown, he needs to eliminate King Bastian and Winston. Why go after Chess?”
“Because, Edrik. Cara is the prophesied Golden Queen. If he kills her, he will kill any hope of peace our Kingdoms have.”
12
The Other Woman
Hawkeye is laying Shelby down in my bed as Winston and I enter the room. Winston leads me to the couch, and both he and Hawkeye turn to leave, giving Shelby and I a sympathetic look before closing the door behind them. I take a deep, shuddering breath, and will the tears to stop falling. I just lost one of the most important people in my life, but right now, I have to stay strong for Shelby. She is my priority. I need to hold it together in front of her. I can break down and grieve over my best friend later.
I look over at Shelby lying on the bed, her sobs are coming out less and less now. I stand and walk over to her. Sitting on the bed, running my fingers through her hair, I look down into her large, sad eyes. I swear I can see her broken heart in them.
“Why, Frannie? Why would someone hurt Colton? Why does everyone I love always leave me?”
“Oh, Shelby. This was all my fault. Colton wasn’t supposed to drink that, I was. His death is all my fault. I will never leave you, Shelby.”
Shelby sits up, an angry look on her face. “You can’t promise that, Frannie. Armand is still out there and he wants all of y’all gone. What am I going to do if something were to happen to you?”
I lean over and hug my best friend, trying to reassure her. “Nothing will happen to me, but if something did, you know Rook and Edrik would be here for you. They have grown to love you as much as I have.”
Shelby sniffs, then wipes her snotty nose on my shirt. “I want Armand dead. I’ve never been violent, but right now, the only thing I want is that man dead.”
I lay down and hold her close, her sniffles eventually stop and her breathing evens out. I can’t help my tears from rolling down my cheeks. The pain is immeasurable. Not only from the loss of my best friend, but from Shelby’s pain that I can’t take away from her. Once I know she is asleep, I ease out of my bed and head downstairs. I hear voices coming from the dining room so I go there first.
Mother is still sitting at the table like nothing ever happened. How can she remain so calm in a room that just had a dead body on the floor? Dad, Edrik, and Rook look to be in a serious conversation. They stop talking when I walk into the room.
“What is going on? How did something like this happen?” I am clenching my fists so hard, my fingernails are sure to draw blood.
“Cara, we were just about to discuss this. Why don’t you come over and sit down.”
“I don’t want to sit down, Rook. I want to know how someone entered our home, poisoned my drink, and killed my best friend!” My grief is soon turning into anger.
Rook walks over to me and grabs my hand. “The entire kitchen staff is dead, including two guards. Right now we can only assume that it was the new chef.”
“Sherry came highly recommended by Lord Stephen, an Advisor from the Dark Fey.” My Mother finally decides to join in the conversation.
“Son of a …” Rook begins pacing, running his hands roughly through his hair. “I knew she looked familiar to me. I should have put it together earlier.”
“What are you talking about?” Dad asks.
“Sherry. I thought I recognized her, but I couldn’t figure out where. She is Armand’s mistress. He visits her every week. I have only seen her maybe twice before at the camps. He always goes to her.”
Dad looks at Rook, confusion on his face. “Why would an advisor from the Dark Fey send over Armand’s mistress?”
“That is exactly what I would like to know.” We all turn our heads to see Winston walk in.
Edrik walks to Winston, looking him in the eye, “Where have you been? We looked for you, but you were nowhere to be found.”
“I was outside speaking with my soldiers. I needed to make sure they were all here and accounted for.”
“Do you know who Sherry is or why one of your advisors would recommend her to Queen Amelia?” Edrik is still looking at Winston, his muscles tense as he questions him.
Winston stands taller, daring Edrik to say anything else to him. “I have never seen that woman before and I have no idea why Lord Stephen would recommend her or anyone else for that matter. I will find out.” Winston tuns to me, his eyes going soft. “I need to return home and sort all of this out. I will be be back as soon as I can, Princess.”
He bows his head at my parents, turns on his heels and walks out of the dining room. Mother stands and addresses the room. “I am very sorry for your loss, but I am glad it was the human and not you that drank the poison.” She lifts her head, and walks out of the room.
“You know what she means, Frannie.” Dad is always trying to soften the blows from her.
I glare at him, “I know exactly what she meant, Father.” I walk out of the room without looking back.
13
Surprise
The next morning we are all gathered in the kitchen. All of the food and drinks have been thrown out and we are waiting for Hawkeye to return with food from a shoppe in the Merchants Square.
“Mary and I will accompany Colton’s body back to the Earth Realm,” Gerald states.
“What are we going to tell his parents? Colton was very close to his family.” I feel the need to point this out, again.
“We will have an autopsy report that says he had an undiagnosed heart condition. There will be no need for anyone to question it.”
“Thank you, Gerald, for handling this for us.” I glare at my Dad when he says this. I am still angry with him for taking up for Mother last night.
Shelby speaks softly, “I want to go back. Not for good, but for the funeral. I need to say one final goodbye.”
&nbs
p; I give her hand a squeeze, “Of course we will go back. We could never miss Colton’s funeral.”
“Not without an escort you won’t.” Edrik speaks up.
I roll my eyes at him, “Gerald will be there, and I don’t think the Earth realm is as dangerous as it is here.”
Hawkeye returns with the food and places it on the kitchen counters. “I’ll take them to the funeral. I’m very familiar with the Earth Realm and I promise to keep them safe.”
Edrik looks over at Rook, and Rook gives a nod of approval. “That is acceptable, Hawkeye. Thank you for looking out for them.” Edrik turns to my Dad, “We still have a lot of work to do here and hopefully, Winston will return soon with some answers.”
I walk over to the food and start placing it on trays so everyone can serve themselves. I’m not sure if I can eat anything, but I make Shelby a plate and set it down in front of her.
Shelby picks at her bacon and looks over at Hawkeye saying, “Thank you.” She pushes her plate aside before getting up and leaving the room.
I watch Shelby slink away then turn back to look at the men in the kitchen. “I want to start training. Immediately. I will not let this man take one more person from me.”
“Cara, I understand but….”
“Stop. Just stop it, Rook. I will begin training as soon as we return from Colton’s funeral. Either you can help me, or you can get out of my way. I will not hide or be scared anymore. I am done with this. Do you understand me, Renegade?” I throw my chair back and storm out of the room and to the one place I know will give me a moments peace.
I’m curled up in my favorite overstuffed chair when Winston opens the door to the library.
“How did you know where to find me?”
